Delegate Susan Krebs, District 5
Please forward this email to your family and friends.
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In This Issue:
- Thanksgiving Focus on Gratitude
- In Need of a Thanksgiving Dinner?
- COVID-19 Information:
- New Orders from Governor Hogan
- Your Rights to Appeal a Quarantine/Isolation Order Due to Contract Tracing
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Voluntary MD COVID Alert Notifications for your Phone
- Business Resources including Grants for Restaurants Impacted By COVID
- CDC Guidance on Holiday Safety
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New - Carroll County Grants to benefit Carroll Hospice Dove House, Carroll Hospital Center and the Family Support Center at Westend!
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Thankful & Grateful
Today and Every Day
In these difficult times it is more important than ever to express my gratitude to each and every one of you. On top of our collective concerns and responses to this unprecedented pandemic, we have been trying to juggle family life, work, and educating our children, all in close proximity. I have been working hard, along with my colleagues, to keep Marylanders and our economy healthy so that everyone can go to bed at night and feel physically and financially secure.
Many of you have written to me overwhelmed with stresses regarding our flawed unemployment system (we are equally frustrated), the battering of our small businesses, the anxiety over constantly changing government mandates threatening our personal freedoms and liberties, pandemic fatigue and overall mental overload. We all may not agree on the methods being deployed but we are so fortunate to live in a free nation where we can have these debates openly and, hopefully, civilly.
With the legislative session quickly approaching in January, my goals are to ensure safe and secure streets, a return to a healthy economy, and to deploy faster treatment and cures so the we can return safely back to our lives. I promise to be your voice in a civil and informative manner.
Thanksgiving will look different this year for most of us- it is my favorite holiday of the year because it is a time with family and to be thankful for all of the blessings we have had bestowed upon us. Take a moment each day to express your gratitude to God for all of the things that we take for granted every day- I find that this helps to overcome the fear and anxiety that often creeps into our minds.
The Maryland Health Department has issued holiday guidance urging caution with travel and large gatherings. Please just use common sense- note the word “guidance”.
During this pandemic, of you have gone above and beyond, and I want to give a special thank you to our essential workers, first responders, police, grocery store staff and many more. And please during the holidays, support our local small businesses.
On behalf of my family, a very heartfelt thank you!
Stay safe and healthy,
Susan
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Need a Thanksgiving Meal? |
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Click Here for Thanksgiving Meals that are being offered to residents of Carroll County that may be in need this Thanksgiving.
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New! COVID-19 Announcements |
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Governor Hogan has issued a number of new orders in the last few days- it is hard to keep up with everything. Below is a synopsis of each order. We do not know much more than what these orders say and often it is a challenge to interpret them. Do the best you can. Please note that the Legislature has had little communication with the Governor’s office regarding these orders.
Governor Hogan’s NEW ACTIONS in effect as of
November 20, 2020:
10 PM CLOSURE FOR BARS AND RESTAURANTS STATEWIDE:
All bars, restaurants, and venues serving food and alcohol must close between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., except for the purposes of carryout and delivery.
LIMITED CAPACITY FOR RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS AND RELIGIOUS FACILITIES: Capacity at retail establishments and religious facilities will be reduced to 50%, bringing them into line with indoor dining and personal services businesses, as well as bingo halls, bowling alleys, pool halls, roller- and ice-skating rinks, fitness centers, and social and fraternal clubs. The 6 foot social distancing and mask rules are still in effect.
NO FANS FOR RACETRACKS AND STADIUMS:
No fans will be permitted at racetracks or professional and collegiate stadiums across the state.
ACTIONS ON HOSPITAL SURGE MANAGEMENT
AND VISITATION:
HOSPITAL VISITATION PROHIBITED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
State health officials have issued an emergency order to prohibit all hospital visitation until further notice with some exceptions—including end-of-life care, obstetrics, parents or guardians of minors, and support for people with disabilities. Read the order.
NEW HOSPITAL SURGE MANAGEMENT ORDER.
State health officials have issued an emergency order allowing hospitals that are either full or nearing capacity limits to transfer patients to hospitals that are equipped to provide them with the care they need. This will help alleviate the overcrowded hospitals in some areas of the state, and place patients in hospitals where beds are available.
GUIDANCE ON ELECTIVE PROCEDURES.
State health officials have issued guidance warning hospitals and other medical facilities to avoid any elective procedure admissions that are not urgent or life-saving—especially if they are likely to require prolonged artificial ventilation, ICU admissions, or may have a high probability of requiring post-hospital care in a skilled nursing facility. Read the guidance.
ACTIONS ON HOTSPOTS AND NURSING HOMES:
NEW LIMITATIONS ON NURSING HOME VISITATION.
Until further notice, indoor visitation at Maryland nursing homes will generally be limited to compassionate care, and all visitors must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours prior to their visit. Read the order.
NURSING HOME TESTING SURGE.
State health officials have issued an order instituting mandatory twice-weekly testing for all staff at Maryland nursing homes, as well as mandatory weekly testing for all nursing home residents—effective no later than Friday, November 20. Read the order.
MORE RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS FOR HOTSPOTS AND OUTBREAKS.
To tackle acute outbreaks, Governor Hogan is doubling the number of rapid response teams deployed to provide an extra level of triage and supplement local staffing needs.
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Watch Governor Hogan's Press Conference - November 17, 2020 |
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Governor's Update - November 23, 2020 |
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Governor Larry Hogan announced the launch of a wide-scale compliance, education, and enforcement operation to slow the spread of the virus and keep Maryland safely open for business.
"Following the public health directives is the only way we will be able to stop this virus, keep Maryland open for business, and keep hospitals from overflowing.” -Governor Larry Hogan
In addition to the state’s traditional efforts ramping up drunk driving patrols and enforcement ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the governor announced the launch of an all-hands-on-deck compliance, education, and enforcement operation.
· The Maryland State Police (MSP) is expanding its COVID-19 Compliance and Coordination Center and deploying ‘High Visibility Compliance Units’ across the state.
· Additional state troopers will be assigned in every county to work in partnership with local leaders, law enforcement, and other county officials with a focus on educating the public about existing orders and protocols, preventing super-spreading events, and taking enforcement actions when necessary.
· These ‘High Visibility Compliance Units’ will be detailed to several downtown areas including Bel Air, Bethesda, Fells Point in Baltimore City, Salisbury, Silver Spring, Towson, and to Allegany County. In addition to bars and restaurants, the operation will focus on venues that host gatherings, including nightclubs and banquet halls.
· This statewide operation will kick off on Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, and continue throughout the holiday season.
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Contact tracing is intended to slow the spread of COVID-19, and help protect you, your family, and your community by letting you know if you were exposed to COVID-19 and should monitor your health for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
HOWEVER….
You may receive a call from the Health Dept. and because of privacy, will not know who identified you or even when there was this "potential" exposure, yet you will be required to quarantine and stay in isolation for 14 days. There are tracing procedures in place and you have a right to appeal a Quarantine / Isolation Order. If you feel that your rights have been violated and an order has been unjustly applied to you, you may appeal within 3 days in court.
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Voluntary- MD COVID Alert Notifications |
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Marylanders Can Use MD COVID Alert to Receive Confidential COVID-19 Exposure Notifications on Smartphones
MD COVID Alert complements traditional contact tracing efforts by using Bluetooth technology to notify a person if they may have been exposed to COVID-19 without compromising the identity or location of users.
Those who opt-in remain anonymous, their location is never tracked, and no data is collected from their smartphones. Using Bluetooth technology, the system can detect if two devices are near each other without revealing where the devices are or who they belong to.
Marylanders with an iPhone can opt-in to MD COVID Alert by enabling exposure notifications in their phone’s settings and selecting Maryland as their region. Android users can opt-in by installing the MD COVID Alert app from the Google Play store.
MD COVID Alert is available at no cost and is voluntary. Users can disable exposure notifications at any time.
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Important Business COVID Resources |
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Carroll County Allocates Almost $600K in Coronavirus Relief Aid To Restaurants and Retail Businesses
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Support Local Business with Your Holiday Shopping |
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Approved! $650,000 grant to the Board of Trustees of Carroll Hospice, Inc. for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of Carroll Hospice Dove House.
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Approved! $800,000 grant to the Board of Trustees of Carroll Hospital Center, Inc. to assist in the design, construction, and equipping of a new critical care unit on the Hospital’s Campus.
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Approved! $2,450,000 loan under the Shelter and Transitional Housing Facilities Program to the Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland for the Family Support Center at Westend. This Center is the sole provider for victims of violence in Carroll County. The newly constructed Domestic Violence Center will create new housing by increasing the number of available beds from 12 to 20. The new beds will also be accessible to Persons with Disabilities, enabling the Family Support Center to expand services to victims of elder abuse.
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