ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan held a press conference on Friday to provide an update on the state’s COVID-19 response.

At the press conference, Dr. Karen B. Salmon, State Superintendent of Schools, announced the schools would remain closed through May 15th.  More details will follow shortly.

The governor also announced that announces that $8 million has been provided to 410 small businesses, which has helped more than 9,000 Marylanders keep their jobs.

Governor Hogan also announced grants for 3 businesses to manufacture PPE:

-DVF Corporation (Washington County) to make parts for respirators
-Awesome Ninja Labs (Baltimore City) to make face shields
-NRL & Associates (Queen Anne’s County) to ramp up ventilator production

Through the Paycheck Protection Program, Maryland has approved $3.8 billion in loans to assist nearly 12,000 Maryland businesses.

The Maryland Department of Labor will soon be launching a new one-stop shop, comprehensive online application for independent contractors, self-employed Marylanders, and all other types of claims, including federal employees, multi-state wage claims, and military.

The governor announced a state investment of $4 million to the Maryland Food Bank and the Capital Area Food Bank. This will be matched by local jurisdictions for a total commitment of $8 million.

The Maryland Department of Human Services is working to dramatically accelerate implementation of our online SNAP pilot program, which will give families in need the opportunity to purchase meals online and have them delivered at no cost.

Shop-Rite and Amazon have committed to waiving delivery fees to help make this initiative successful.

Governor Hogan also discussed the four building blocks of his Maryland recovery plan and says his team is making significant progress on the following criteria:

-Expanding testing capacity
-Increasing hospital surge capacity
-Increasing supply of PPE
-Robust contact tracing operation

The full transcript and video from Governor Hogan’s press conference can be found here.

The video can be viewed below.