March 7th, 2020 by WCBC Radio
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan spoke Friday night about the state’s efforts after three patients tested positive for coronavirus in Montgomery County.
Hogan said the three patients were passengers on a cruise ship in Egypt.
Two of the patients had at least two instances of public interaction that Hogan said were concerning.
One of the patients attended a public event with some 70 to 100 people at the Village at Rockville, a retirement community, on Feb. 28 between noon and 6 p.m.
Hogan said people who were at the event should call their health care provider or the Maryland Emergency Management Agency at 410-517-3720.
They should monitor themselves for symptoms — respiratory infection including fever, cold-like symptoms, cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath — until March 13. They should also stay at home until they get instructions from their doctor or the health department.
Another patient attended an event in Philadelphia, where there was contact with school children. Five schools in the Central Bucks School District were closed Friday in response.
“Since declaring a state of emergency last night, we have continued to ramp up our response to COVID-19 and investigate the three positive cases in Montgomery County,” Hogan said in a statement ahead of the news conference.
Hogan said he directed the Maryland Insurance Commissioner to require all state health insurers to waive any cost-sharing, co-payments, coinsurance or deductibles associated with testing for the coronavirus.
He also asked to remove all prior authorization requirements by any health carrier for COVID-19 testing that are related to medical necessity.
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