County Executive Alsobrooks Takes Additional Actions to Keep Residents Safe
Dear Prince Georgians:
Yesterday, I held a press conference to provide an update to the community on the County’s COVID-19 response and several other issues. While we have made tremendous progress together as a community, unfortunately we have identified a few concerning trends in our COVID-19 data that mirror trends we are seeing across the State of Maryland.
The County has seen a 56% increase in cases over the last couple of weeks, from a low of 581 cases the week of June 28 to 909 cases for the week of July 12. Hospitalizations have also increased from an average of 45 inpatients per day with COVID-19 for the week of July 5 to 62 per day last week. Finally, the County’s positivity rate has also increased slightly from 5.3% for the week of July 12 to 5.8% percent last week.
Due to these recent trends, I am announcing several additional actions that will keep residents safe. Starting tomorrow, August 1 at 5:00 PM, all gatherings not outlined in our Phase 2 Executive Order are limited to a maximum of 50 persons. This includes, but is not limited to, parties, family gatherings, parades, festivals, and conventions. For a full list of guidelines, please click here.
I also want to remind residents about the Governor’s facial covering mandate that took effect today at 5:00 PM, requiring that all Maryland residents and visitors must wear face coverings in the public spaces of all businesses, including gyms and fitness centers, on public transportation, and in outdoor public areas whenever it is not possible to maintain physical distancing. Wearing a face covering protects both you and your fellow Prince Georgians.
In response to recent large house parties, we are using authority granted by the Governor’s Executive Order to local health officers to close unsafe facilities. The County has the authority to mandate that only people who live at these properties are able to be at the property. Anyone who violates this order, and this includes the owners of the property, any promoters who host the party and anyone who attends the party, will be subject to being charged with a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both. The County is ready and willing to take action against anyone that is willfully violating safety ordinances by hosting these parties.
As you may be aware, Governor Hogan announced that the 2020 General Election in November will operate as a normal election, but with absentee ballot requests being mailed to every voter. Yesterday, I sent a letter to Governor Hogan urging him to conduct the 2020 General Election as a vote by mail election.
Rather than mailing absentee ballot applications to all voters, I am urging the Governor to mail ballots to all registered voters instead, similar to the 2020 Presidential Primary Election. I am also asking the Governor to extend the early voting timeline from October 22 through November 3, 2020. Finally, I am asking the Governor to allow the County to expand to 15 early voting locations and to use only those locations on Election Day, and to install secure drop boxes at the 15 polling locations.
Due to a number of factors, opening all polling sites as a normal election would be impossible for Prince George’s County. Many of the venues that normally serve as polling places, such as senior centers, churches and private halls, have withdrawn because they do not want to serve as polling places during a pandemic. We would need 3,500 volunteers to open all polling locations, and based on a recent survey we conducted, only 34% of trained poll workers indicated a willingness to work. Furthermore, our volunteers are typically seniors, and it would be irresponsible to ask them to work these polling locations during a pandemic. My letter to the Governor presents a reasonable alternative to the State’s current plan.
I am also excited to announce that we are launching a $2 million assistance program for childcare providers who were hit hard by the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the County had 25,000 childcare slots, and now there are approximately 14,000. Through our COVID-19 Business Recovery Initiative, childcare facilities have received $735,000 in assistance so far to maintain their businesses. We are finalizing details of this new assistance program and will provide an update with eligibility requirements and the application process in the near future.
Our COVID-19 Ambassador Compliance Team also continues to perform unannounced visits to businesses to ensure that owners, employees and patrons are in compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols outlined in our Executive Order. To date, Ambassadors have visited more than 200 businesses across the County. We have closed one business so far, a martial arts facility in the County that serves children. This facility was not practicing safe physical distancing, occupancy requirements and wearing of facial coverings. As a reminder, residents can report a business violating COVID-19 safety protocols to the Ambassador Compliance Team by calling 311 or emailing covidcompliance@co.pg.md.us.
In addition, our Prince George’s Forward Task Force continues its work to plan for the County’s recovery. The Forward Task Force will host two public meetings in the coming weeks to outline their initial set of recommendations for our community, the first on August 5 and the second on August 19. Residents are able to send their thoughts and concerns on the County’s recovery and future to the Task Force at pathforward@co.pg.md.us. The Task Force also has a new website that will provide details on public meetings and all future updates, www.PrinceGeorgesForward.com.
Finally, I want to provide a brief update on our Police Reform Work Group. We are making this an open and transparent process for our residents, and I want to thank everyone who joined the Work Group for their Listening Session held on July 23, 2020. Yesterday, July 30, the Work Group held a meeting as part of their comprehensive review of our Police Department that can be viewed online here. If you would like to stay updated on public meetings held by our Work Group, or if you would like to provide your thoughts or ideas on police reform to the Work Group, please visit our website here.
Prince Georgians, I want to thank you for your sacrifices, your consistent engagement, and for continuing to hold your County Government and each other accountable. We truly have some of the best residents, and I am proud to be your County Executive. Working together, we will overcome any challenge that we face.
Yours in service,
Angela Alsobrooks
Prince George’s County Executive
Revised Phase II Order for Large Gatherings
Governor Hogan's Statewide Face Covering Mandate
Ambassador Compliance Team
Make a Report to the Ambassador Compliance Team
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