ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Larry Hogan said Tuesday his administration has no plans to reimpose a state mask mandate.
Several other states and cities around the country are once again requiring masks to be worn regardless of vaccination status due to a spike in new COVID-19 cases, thanks in large part to the highly contagious Delta variant.
The CDC recently issued new guidance recommending all students in K-12 to wear masks. They also have called for citizens to wear masks indoors in areas experiencing a surge in new cases.
In response some of the nation's largest retail chains have reinstated mask requirements for their employees while urging customers to wear one too.
Although no jurisdictions in the state have issued new COVID related restrictions to the public, some have for government workers and students returning to school this fall.
On Monday, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said masks would have to be worn inside government buildings, and that employees would have to test weekly for COVID-19 unless vaccinated.
Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, and Charles Counties have already said they would require students, teachers, and staff returning this fall to wear masks.
Various healthcare companies including the University of Maryland Medical System, Johns Hopkins Medicine, GBMC, and Ascension previously announced they would require all staff to get vaccinated.
They join the University System of Maryland, Morgan State, Loyola University, McDaniel College, and Notre Dame of Maryland, who are requiring students and faculty to be vaccinated in order to return to campus.
Maryland's positivity rate currently sits at 3.38 percent with 368 new cases and 28 hospitalizations reported over the last 24 hours.
Among state residents 18 and older, 77.7 percent have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
