Emily Scarr
State Director, Maryland PIRG; Director, Stop Toxic PFAS Campaign, PIRG
Maryland PIRG Supports the “Roadmap to Recovery”
Media Contacts
Emily Scarr
State Director, Maryland PIRG; Director, Stop Toxic PFAS Campaign, PIRG
Maryland PIRG
Baltimore: On April 24th, Governor Hogan released “Roadmap to Recovery,” his administration’s plan to safely ease state restrictions on business, education, and recreation implemented in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The plan sets out 3 phases of reopening, with subphases within each phase, a set of 4 criteria for moving from one phase to the next, and the ability to move back if conditions worsen.
Maryland PIRG Director Emily Scarr made the following statement in response:
We applaud Governor Hogan for following expert public health recommendations and creating a data-grounded plan to safely reopen Maryland. The governor’s realistic approach acknowledges that the state may need to update the plan based on new data and scientific analysis as it becomes available, and that authorities may need to restore restrictions if conditions worsen. The administration’s plan puts Maryland on the right track, but the true test of the plan will be ensuring it is properly implemented.
And if Maryland is to succeed at a safe reopening, it is critically important that the federal government coordinate a robust national effort to fight the spread of coronavirus, by increasing both testing capacity and the production of protective equipment to keep health professionals and other frontline workers safe. Without adequate testing capacity across state borders, Marylanders are not safe. And without protective equipment for front-line workers, even a flat curve will still overpower our health systems.
States don’t fight wars, nations do.
