MD Counties Stripped Of Power To Order Blanket School Closures

MARYLAND — Gov. Larry Hogan on Monday issued an amended emergency order that strips county governments of their power to prohibit blanket school closures due to COVID-19.

The move reverses Montgomery County's decision to prohibit in-person classes at private and parochial schools, which has drawn criticism from Hogan.

Under his amended emergency order, private and parochial schools can decide when and how to reopen during the public health crisis.

"Private and parochial schools deserve the same opportunity and flexibility to make reopening decisions based on public health guidelines," the Republican governor said. "The blanket closure mandate imposed by Montgomery County was overly broad and inconsistent with the powers intended to be delegated to the county health officer."

On Friday, Montgomery County's top health official, Dr. Travis Gayles, directed nonpublic schools to remain closed for in-person instruction through Oct. 1.

"Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have based our decisions on science and data. At this point the data does not suggest that in-person instruction is safe for students or teachers," Gayles said Friday. "We have seen increases in transmission rates for COVID-19 in the State of Maryland, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia, particularly in younger age groups, and this step is necessary to protect the health and safety of Montgomery County residents."

Montgomery County, which is Maryland's most populous jurisdiction, has the highest number of deaths from coronavirus in the state. It also has the second highest number confirmed cases, after Prince George's County, which has 22,183, according to state data released Monday.

To date, Montgomery County has nearly 18,000 positive infections and more than 750 deaths from COVID-19.

In total, Maryland has topped 91,000 coronavirus cases and 3,300 deaths.