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COVID-19 Joint Information Center Update: April 27, 2020

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The Washington County, Maryland Joint Information Center (JIC) provides the following update regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER
As we continue to take steps to slow the spread of COVID-19 by limiting close contact, people are facing new challenges and questions about how to meet basic household needs, such as buying groceries and medicine, and completing banking activities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains ways to protect yourself and others when running essential errands. Learn more by visiting https://bit.ly/34ucuqJ
WASHINGTON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
For those who may have complaints or inquiries regarding social distancing compliance at operating businesses, organizations, establishments, facilities, or construction sites, please contact the Washington County Health Department at 240-313-3210 or email [email protected].
The Washington County Health Department will work in coordination with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police to address and investigate all complaints or inquiries.
On April 5, 2020, Governor Hogan issued Executive Order Number 20-04-05-02 Delegating Authority to Local Health Officials to Control and Close Unsafe Facilities. The purpose of the Executive Order is to control and prevent the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring that a business, organization, establishment, facility, or construction site complies with the Social Distancing Guidance published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). Individuals can call 240-313-3210 or email [email protected] to report concerns regarding compliance with this Executive Order.
MERITUS HEALTH
COVID-19 TESTING EXPANDS FOR COMMUNITY
Click on the map to right to access the closest COVID-19 testing site.
COVID-19 testing is now available to anyone showing symptoms as designated by the CDC – Fever greater than 100.5 degrees and/or a dry cough, shortness of breath or sore throat. No appointments or referrals are needed to be tested. Testing is now available for all ages. Mertius Health’s screening centers include:
  • Drive-thru Center: COVID-19 screening is available behind Meritus Medical Plaza, at 13620 Crayton Blvd. Hours are Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and weekends from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
  • Walk-thru Center: COVID-19 screening is available at 24 N. Walnut St, Hagerstown, MD. The walk-thru screening center is open Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Meritus Equipped for Life at 525 Dual Highway, has temporarily changed its store hours effective immediately to Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and the first Wednesday of each month from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the store will now be limited to three (3) customers inside at one time. If the store’s door is locked, customers should please wait for an employee to come to greet them and let them inside. The 24-hour on-call technicians continue to be available for emergencies by calling 301-714-0200.
Meritus Health continues to offer telehealth visits. These visits will allow patients to speak directly with a primary care provider to discuss health concerns.
Telehealth visits are available from 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday. To request a telehealth visit please complete the form below.
WASHINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Please stay tuned to www.hagerstown.org for the latest information on COVID-19 relief resources, local restaurants that remain open for business, and more!
Upcoming Webinars
Tuesday, April 28, 11:30 a.m. – Noon
Emotional Well-Being and Your Workforce in the Time of COVID-19: Taking Care of Your Employees – Hosted by the MD Chamber of Commerce
Representatives from Kaiser Permanente will discuss how to maintain emotional well-being in the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include understanding stress and anxiety and how they impact your workforce, as well as tools and resources to care for your employees.
Wednesday, April 29, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Paycheck Protection Program Q&A Session – Hosted by CNB Bank
This webinar panel will consist of President & CEO Mark Harrell, Josh Householder, and Kevin Starliper. Registration is free and we will be able to share the presentation and recording afterward for anyone that is unable to attend!
Thursday, April 30, 11:00 a.m.
FREE Webinar hosted by The Fort Detrick Alliance: “New Challenges & Hurdles for Contractors in the COVID-19 Era”
Learn how to best navigate government contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic era. Hear from Jeremy Scholtes, Attorney at Miles and Stockbridge; Jerome Maultsby, Assistant Director of the Office of Small Business Programs at Fort Detrick; and Sara Langdon, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, HQ.
This webinar will be moderated and there will be time for participants to ask questions of the panelists.
This event is open to members and non-members of the Alliance. Please pass along to anyone who might be interested or benefit from this opportunity. The webinar link will be provided to registrants the day before the event. Attendees will be able to video conference or call in depending on preference.
Friday, May 1, 11:00 a.m. – Noon
COVID-19: Economic Outlook and Prospects for Recovery – Hosted by the MD Chamber of Commerce
Join us for a conversation with Tom Barkin, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Mr. Barkin will discuss the Federal Reserve’s recent and unprecedented actions and share his thoughts on the U.S. economy, including what the Richmond Fed is learning through business outreach, and the key components to a successful recovery.
Attention Employers:
Additional Funding Notice: The SBA resumed accepting Paycheck Protection Program applications from participating lenders today, Monday, April 27, 2020. For more information on PPP Loans CLICK HERE.
With the additional funding provided by the new COVID-19 relief package, SBA will resume processing EIDL Loan and Advance applications that are already in the queue on a first come, first-served basis. We will provide further information on the availability of the EIDL portal to receive new applications (including those from agricultural enterprises) as soon as possible.
To learn more about the relief options available for your business, click here.
On Friday, Governor Hogan announced framework for his “Road to Recovery Plan”:
Data Trends. To determine when a recovery can begin, Maryland officials will focus on the rate of hospitalizations and the number of patients admitted to ICU. If these numbers continue to plateau, Maryland could be ready to begin the recovery in early May. Marylanders can access this data daily at coronavirus.maryland.gov.
The ‘Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery’ is divided into three stages:
STAGE ONE calls for lifting the stay-at-home order, and involves business, community, religious, and quality of life improvements. Examples of changes that could be implemented in this stage include:
  • Reopening of small shops and certain small businesses
  • Curbside pickup and drop-off for businesses
  • Elective medical and dental procedures at ambulatory, outpatient, and medical offices
  • Limited attendance outdoor religious gatherings
  • Recreational boating, fishing, golf, tennis, hiking, and hunting
  • Reopening of car washes
  • Limited outdoor gym and fitness classes
  • Outdoor work with appropriate distancing measures
  • Some personal services
STAGE TWO will likely be a longer stage of the initial recovery, but will also be the stage when a large number of businesses and activities come back online. Any businesses that reopen during this period would need to comply with strict physical distancing and appropriate safety protocols. Examples of changes that could be implemented in this stage include:
  • Raising the cap on social gatherings
  • Indoor gyms and fitness classes
  • Childcare centers
  • Normal transit schedules
  • Indoor religious gatherings
  • Reopening of restaurants and bars with restrictions
  • Elective and outpatient procedures at hospitals
STAGE THREE will involve instituting higher-risk activities, but there is no realistic timeline yet for achieving this level. Examples of changes that could be implemented in this stage include:
  • Larger social gatherings
  • Reopening of high-capacity bars and restaurants
  • Lessened restrictions on visits to nursing homes and hospitals
  • Reopening of entertainment venues
  • Larger religious gatherings
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
The Board of County Commissioners will hold a virtual meeting on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. To view the agenda, please click here.
HAGERSTOWN REGIONAL AIRPORT
The Allegiant flight scheduled for Monday, April 27, 2020 is cancelled. HGR currently remains open and operational but flights are subject to change. Passengers are encouraged to contact their airline via their app, social media or calling the airport directly if you have questions regarding your travel itinerary.
HAGERSTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Hagerstown Community College is offering two free summer classes to area 2020 high school graduates.
“We recognize all the sacrifices this year’s high school graduates have been forced to make, due to the pandemic,” said HCC President Jim Klauber. “This gift from the college is our way of helping to honor them and celebrate their accomplishments.”
The offer is open to 2020 high school/homeschool graduates from Washington County and HCC’s neighboring out-of-state counties (Franklin County, PA; Fulton County, PA; Berkeley County, WV; Jefferson County, WV; and Morgan County, WV).
Students may select one or two online summer courses beginning May 26, June 29, or July 13, and must be enrolled by May 26. Tuition is offered free-of-charge, but students are responsible for the cost of textbooks and college fees. The opportunity is open to the first 100 students who apply.
The application deadline is May 15. To learn more and apply, visit www.hagerstowncc.edu/gradgift.
The purpose of this page is to help the public distinguish between rumors and facts regarding the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Rumors can easily circulate within communities during a crisis. Do your part to the stop the spread of disinformation by doing 3 easy things; don’t believe the rumors, don’t pass them along and go to trusted sources of information to get the facts about the state of Maryland’s (COVID-19) response.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES & INFORMATION
WASHINGTON COUNTY COVID-19 EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUND ANNOUNCES 2nd CYCLE GRANT RECIPIENTS
The Washington County COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, a campaign organized by the Community Foundation and United Way of Washington County, Maryland, announces the second cycle of grant recipients. The second disbursement of grants was announced on Monday April 27th.
  1. Children in Need
  2. Community Free Clinic
  3. GateKeepers
  4. Girls Inc.
  5. Horizon Goodwill Industries
  6. HCC Foundation
  7. Potomac Case Management
  8. Tabitha’s Table
  9. University System of Maryland
  10. Hagerstown YMCA. 
  1. CASA, Inc.
  2. Interfaith Service Coalition
  3. Salvation Army
  4. Together with Families
  5. Washington County Commission on Aging. 
All funds raised will support Washington County community-based organizations and partners who directly help those adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. In the weeks and months ahead, the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund will provide additional capacity to community-based organizations in Washington County. This fund will deliver economic assistance and access to vital food and basic need supplies to the many children, families and households who already have and will be impacted by the temporary loss of income. The COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund may also be deployed to strengthen our community’s ability to prepare for and respond to a variety of health and other emergencies, as well as to support programs and initiatives that are focused on fighting for the health, education, basic needs and financial stability of our community. Donations made to the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund will support efforts to provide relief to people impacted by coronavirus and its effect on our community.
The goal of the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund is to raise as much money as possible to deliver positive outcomes for severely affected individuals and families. The Community Foundation secured $100,000 in matching grants in less than two days. Matching donors include: Adna Fulton Family Fund. Pauline Anderson Foundation, William Dutton Family Fund, Alice Virginia and David W. Fletcher Foundation, God’s Grace Fund, Community Foundation of Washington County, MD., John R. Hershey Jr. and Anna L. Hershey Family Foundation, Ed and Betsy Beachley, Dr. and Mrs. Mitesh and Erin Kothari, Kevin and Stacey Crawford, and Todd and Sue Baer.
United Way of Washington County has waived all administrative and processing fees to ensure all campaign funding will go to those most in need. To ensure maximum impact, the funding community is banding together to ensure that 100% of donations are distributed appropriately throughout the community.
Donations can be made online at https://bit.ly/2UR6fsy by texting COVIDWashCo to 313131, by calling 301.739.8200 x 104 or by mailing checks to United Way of Washington County, 83 West Washington Street, Suite 101, Hagerstown, MD.
HORIZON GOODWILL – CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST WITH FABRIC MASKS
Multiple local agencies and organizations that provide direct or essential services have requested in obtaining fabric masks for their employees. Horizon Goodwill is partnering with these agencies and volunteers to provide materials and instructions for creation of these masks. We have the supplies and instructions; we need volunteers with sewing machines to help get them made!
Organizations Needing Masks
City of Hagerstown- 125
Washington County EOC- 200
Salvation Army Soup Kitchen – 40
Turning Point Homeless Outreach Team- 50
Horizon Goodwill – 400
Arc of Washington County – TBA
Additional Ask
Emergency Command-7000-8000 masks that need elastic replaced. These will be at the Community Action Council for repair, need volunteers 10:00 a.m.-Noon or Noon-2:00 p.m. Monday-Friday to complete this project. We want to keep these in one place so that we can be sure all masks are returned to Sheriff. This initiative began on April 10th and will continue until completed.
Contact Information
Call Brooke Grossman, Horizon Goodwill volunteer Point Of Contact, at 301-988-0185 if interested in assisting.
Interested volunteers/groups should pick one of the projects above and a quantity they feel is reasonable for them to produce. Pickup of packaged materials will be coordinated at Horizon Goodwill headquarters at 145151 Pennsylvania Ave (across from Nick’s Airport Inn). Once volunteers are identified for specific projects, they will be provided with the Point of Contact for the specific organization and they can deliver masks directly once complete.
For additional information, please contact the Public Relations and Marketing Department at 240-313-2380 or [email protected].
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