Maryland’s state recovery efforts started effectively at the beginning of May. That means the number of daily COVID-19 cases stopped increasing, and there is a fall in the number of patients hospitalized and admitted to intensive care units. This is good news for us who live in the state.
The governor released, what is called the Maryland Strong – Roadmap to a Recovery plan. The recovery effort would happen in three phases:
- Phase 1: includes lifting the stay-at-home order, reopening of some small businesses, retail shops, golf courses, and other recreational activities. Outdoor religious gatherings, elective outpatient surgeries in certain counties might be able to resume, and some local governments could reopen.
- Phase 2: includes the reopening of more businesses, and nonessential workers could return to work. Some restaurants and bars could reopen on a case-by-case basis, and crowd-size limits on social gatherings could increase. Indoor religious meetings could also resume.
- Phase 3: includes allowing larger social gatherings, reopening of entertainment venues, and lifting restrictions at hospitals and nursing homes.
“Each of these recovery stages will need to be instituted in a safe, gradual, and effective manner,” Hogan said. “If we try to rush this and don’t do it thoughtfully and responsibly, it could cause a rebound of the virus, which could deepen the economic crisis, prolong the fiscal problems and slow our economic recovery.”
The guide also suggests that Marylanders should be prepared to continue teleworking, wearing masks or face coverings, and practicing physical distancing for the foreseeable future. There are few effective therapeutic treatments for COVID-19 and no vaccine or effective prophylactic therapies.
People all over the country want ‘stay-at-home’ orders to be canceled. Everyone seems to want to go back to “normal” But what is that normal? We have an opportunity to change! In the chaos, we find order. Why not, instead of wanting to go back to “normal,” take the chance to change how we do things? It is evident that the “normal” we know isn’t working anymore, so why not reinvent ourselves and our society? The time is now!
