Hogan Warns Young People: ‘The Pandemic is by no Means Behind us’

After months in lockdown, people are itching to go back to work, schools are figuring out new protocols and the nation is trying to fully reopen.

While many states have seen coronavirus cases go down, many others have plateaued or experienced resurgences of the virus. Maryland’s positivity rate is among those that continues to fall, however, Governor Larry Hogan is warning people against thinking the pandemic is over. He took to Twitter on Sunday to remind residents, especially younger residents, to stay vigilant.

Nearly half of new cases belong to Marylanders in their 20s and 30s, and the positivity rate for Marylanders under 35 is over 85% higher than Marylanders 35 and older. We are urging younger Marylanders to take these statistics seriously: this pandemic is by no means behind us.

— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) July 19, 2020

Under a graphic of that day’s county positivity percentages, Hogan wrote that, while the numbers are better, almost half of all new cases in the state belong to people in their 20s and 30s—young people have been accused of not heeding the pandemic enough given that those deemed most at risk are individuals who are immunocompromised or over the age of 65.

Hogan added that the positivity rate for those under 35 is 85% higher than those 35 and older, warning young residents that “this pandemic is by no means behind us.”

“Our recovery depends on each and every Marylander exercising personal responsibility. Wear a mask in indoor public areas, practice physical distancing, and avoid large gatherings,” Hogan wrote.

About Tori Bergel

Tori Bergel was a summer 2020 intern at Montgomery Community Media. At the time, she was a rising senior within the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

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