‘This Is Not Fear Mongering’ Baltimore Mayor Brings Back Indoor Mask Mandate; Governor Says No To Statewide Mask Mandate But Will Require Vaccines, Testing For Some State Employees

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is bringing backmost an indoor disguise mandate portion Governor Larry Hogan said determination is nary request to necessitate look coverings statewide.

Why not bash it present alternatively of Monday? Mayor says they are giving radical clip to adapt. Masks are presently required successful City-owned buildings. Mayor tells maine helium does person the authorization to mandate masks. AACo Exec said this week helium did not person that authorization successful his county. @wjz

— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) August 5, 2021

The metropolis volition reinstate its indoor disguise mandate starting Monday astatine 9 a.m. and it includes backstage businesses. Regardless of your vaccination status, you indispensable deterioration a look covering. Baltimore was 1 of the past jurisdictions to assistance the anterior mandate successful aboriginal July.

Indoor disguise mandate REINSTATED effectual 9am Monday successful Baltimore #BREAKING @wjz pic.twitter.com/UBHZdLoL5b

— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) August 5, 2021

“The pandemic is not yet over!” Mayor Scott said astatine an day property briefing successful East Baltimore.

The metropolis has seen caller infections emergence by much than 500% compared to 1 period ago. City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa said the spreading and highly contagious Delta variant is driving the caller masking requirement.

Current Baltimore numbers @wjz pic.twitter.com/nwHTNxkfUo

— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) August 5, 2021

Scott urged radical to get vaccinated.

“If we bash not get much radical vaccinated, much radical volition die. This is not fear-mongering, this is reality,” Scott told reporters.

Anne Arundel County’s Executive said this week that disguise mandates indispensable travel from the governor, but Mayor Scott told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren helium has the authorization to mandate masks successful his city.

“Through the powers vested successful our wellness commissioner to contented this arsenic a wellness order,” helium said.

Governor Larry Hogan agreed. “We enactment the quality of section jurisdictions to marque those decisions for themselves,” the politician said astatine a Thursday day quality conference.

Hogan says section jurisdictions tin necessitate masks if they choose. @wjz

— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) August 5, 2021

But statewide, the politician said helium volition not spell backmost to a disguise requirement.

“Mask mandates oregon shutdowns volition not beryllium capable to eradicate the menace of the microorganism oregon this Delta variant,” Hogan said.

The politician says “mask mandates oregon shutdowns” volition not beryllium capable to eradicate this virus; nary caller statewide disguise mandate @wjz #BREAKING

— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) August 5, 2021

Starting Sept. 1, Hogan volition necessitate immoderate authorities employees to get vaccinated oregon deterioration masks and get tested regularly. That includes those moving successful state-run wellness attraction facilities, juvenile services, veterans affairs and prisons.

State employees successful these agencies volition person to get vaccinated oregon tested @wjz pic.twitter.com/j9MEjDlqrG

— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) August 5, 2021

“Those are folks that request to beryllium vaccinated,” the politician said. “…They should person been already.”

Hogan says largest authorities employees’ national signed memorandum of knowing that allows him to mandate vaccinations oregon investigating @wjz

— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) August 5, 2021

The politician had harsh words for the unvaccinated and inactive recommends they deterioration masks erstwhile indoors.

Here is the latest guidance from the Maryland Department of Health:

“You are the ones threatening the freedoms of each the remainder of us—the state not to deterioration masks, to support our businesses unfastened and to get our kids backmost successful school,” Governor Hogan said.

He besides advised backstage nursing homes travel the state’s pb and mandate vaccinations oregon investigating for their employees. Hogan said determination has been an summation successful cases among unvaccinated workers and helium is acrophobic astir outbreaks.

MORE NEWS: No New Mask Mandate Despite Surge In COVID-19 Cases, Gov. Larry Hogan Says