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May 17, 2020 the Honorable Larry Hogan Governor of Maryland 100 State Circle Annapolis, Maryland 21401-1925 Dear Governor

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May 17, 2020 the Honorable Larry Hogan Governor of Maryland 100 State Circle Annapolis, Maryland 21401-1925 Dear Governor May 17, 2020 The Honorable Larry Hogan Governor of Maryland 100 State Circle Annapolis, Maryland 21401-1925 Dear Governor Hogan: We write on behalf of the Prince George’s County House and Senate Delegations. While we appreciate the hard work you and your Administration have done thus far, we write with grave concern about the status of coronavirus in Maryland, particularly in Prince George’s County, and your recently announced plans to reopen, which, in our view, are not justified by, data, facts or your own previously-stated metrics and roadmap to recovery. Furthermore, we are alarmed at your Administration’s silence and lack of response to urgent requests from Prince George’s County, the hardest hit jurisdiction in the State—these requests being made earnestly in an effort to protect Prince Georgians and save lives. In an April 30, 2020 letter, Prince George’s County Executive, Angela Alsobrooks, wrote your liaison, Steve Schuh, as follow-up from a discussion about the County’s needs, including increased hospital capacity, expanded testing, improved contact tracing, and increased supplies of personal protective equipment. If we are all “Maryland Strong” then we must be responsive, coordinated, and all must work together. Regarding hospital capacity, we appreciate your decision to re-open parts of Laurel Regional Hospital and providing 135 additional beds, but your Administration has not responded to requests for additional medical tents and critical care staffing needs in portions of the County urgently at need. When the State decided against opening a facility at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, the County was promised additional medical tents, however, the state reneged on its promise and the County never received a response. The County also requested assistance with “critical care staffing needs” for Prince George’s hospitals, which would have allowed them to further “increase the ability of their ICUs to manage the full impact.” These resources are still urgently needed as we respond to this pandemic. As you know, our testing sites are critical and as County Executive Alsobrooks reiterated, “the popularity of our existing testing sites demonstrates that when provided with the resources, we deliver results that help our County and State through this pandemic.” We applaud your efforts to secure tests from South Korea and understand that the State is now in possession of the necessary ancillary equipment to conduct increased testing. We urge you to prioritize hotspots throughout the State, starting with Prince George’s County. By any measure, the County should be number one on the list for increased testing and, specifically, we need at least an additional 3,500 tests per week. The County continues to prioritize increased contact tracing so we can learn more about how the virus spreads. We understand that you have had plans to hire an additional 1,000 employees to help with this need statewide—the County has already developed a plan for increased contact tracing and now we need to understand yours, so that the two may be coordinated as necessary. We also need the State’s strike and bridge teams dispatched to the County to allow us to provide appropriate assistance to the high number of nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and senior independent living communities in the County. While we join the applause for your providing $5 million in grant funding to Maryland companies to produce PPE, the County remains critically short on personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, gloves and gowns. These resources must be shared equitably across our State to protect our front line first responders. In addition, it is imperative that in such a time of need for the County and the State, that you and your Administration vet thoroughly, those firms and contractors where taxpayer dollars are being invested. While we wait for additional PPE and resources, the State may now have to contend with legal struggles to recoup millions of dollars from a failed contract— lengthening the time of our response and ultimate recovery. We recognize and support County Executive Alsobrooks’ extension of her stay-at- home Executive Order to June 1st. However, we rely on your assistance to flatten the curve and slow coronavirus spread, so that Prince Georgians can look forward to a healthy reopening of the County in the future. As we continue to lead the State in the number of positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, Prince George’s County requests, along with the data, demands that our County should be prioritized, not further ignored. The County’s pending requests remain critical to stopping the spread of coronavirus and helping our State navigate successfully through this crisis. The County has suffered far too many sicknesses, serious hospitalizations, ICU admittances and ultimately too many deaths during this pandemic and we cannot and should not have to respond to this crisis alone, anymore. Beyond these urgent healthcare priorities, we join Marylanders throughout the State in asking that you address the woefully inadequate unemployment application process that has failed far too many Marylanders in their greatest time of need and provide transparency regarding the status of State funded business and nonprofit relief initiatives. In that same April letter, County Executive Alsobrooks expressed the critical importance that we all work together by regularly sharing information; however, it seems as though the State has habitually failed to communicate critical details and plans. We urge you to communicate and coordinate with our County officials. The people of this County and the State of Maryland deserve no less and we all stand ready to support your efforts in putting an end to the daily tragedy caused by this virus. Very truly yours, Senator Joanne C. Benson Delegate Erek L. Barron Chair, Chair, Prince George’s County Senate Delegation Prince George’s County House Delegation .
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