TOWSON, MD—Baltimore County Public Schools officials on Tuesday announced that, due to low student and staff participation across the system, CIAN Diagnostics, the school system’s external testing vendor, cannot support continued optional COVID-19 testing in schools and offices. CIAN has made the decision to end optional testing in BCPS effective immediately. This change does not impact school-based testing that is […]
TOWSON, MD—It’s official. Masks will become optional at all Baltimore County Public Schools on March 1st. BCPS made the announcement on Friday evening. Earlier this week, the Maryland State Board of Education lifted the statewide mask mandate. On Friday, the Maryland General Assembly’s AELR Committee agreed with the decision. BCPS officials say additional information will be sent to all families […]
BALTIMORE, MD—Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott on Thursday announced that the city’s indoor mask mandate would be lifted effective March 1st. The mandate will also be lifted for city employees, and customers in shops and restaurants will no longer need to wear face coverings. “We will continue to monitor our COVID-19 metrics and make informed decisions should another variant of […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan on Thursday announced that the State of Maryland’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped below 500—another major milestone for the state’s declining health metrics. Hospitalizations: 480, ICU: 90 Since peaking last month just below 3,500, Maryland’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have declined by 86 percent. COVID-19 ICU levels statewide have dropped below 100 for the first time since August 8, […]
UPDATE: Masks will become optional at Baltimore County Public Schools on March 1st. Original story below… ——— TOWSON, MD—Baltimore County Public Schools officials on Wednesday provided an update on when school masking requirements might be eliminated. On February 10, 2022, Baltimore County’s COVID-19 case rate dropped below 100 cases per 100,000 residents, moving the county out of the CDC’s high […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Department of Health this week announced nearly $8 million in emergency funding to support the state’s four residential treatment centers and to mitigate financial losses they incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding, made available through the American Rescue Plan Act, will help ensure critical services are provided to children and adolescents enrolled in Medicaid. “This […]
UPDATE: The AELR has voted to lift the mask mandate. Original story below… —— BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland State Board of Education on Tuesday voted to lift the statewide school mask mandate. The board voted 12-2 in favor of lifting the requirement. The measure will now need to receive final approval from the state’s Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review (AELR) committee, […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan has announced that the State of Maryland’s COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped below 3 percent for the first time since early November, as the state’s health metrics continue to improve. Positivity Rate: 2.92% Since peaking last month at just below 30 percent, Maryland’s COVID-19 positivity rate has declined by 90.2 percent. This is the first time […]