Hogan lifting COVID-19 state of emergency in Maryland on July 1

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is lifting the coronavirus state of emergency in Maryland on July 1 that has been in place since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Hogan said on Tuesday that all coronavirus restrictions will be lifted by the state including the mask mandate due to the high number of vaccinations and lower case rate. 

Hogan specified the state will not require masks anywhere including schools and camps. 

However, he said businesses are allowed to make their own personal choice in regards to if they want a mask policy.

Along with the lifting of all pandemic restrictions, Hogan is giving a 45 day period for other regulations to be relaxed after July 1.

This means coronavirus regulations such as a pause on evictions and renewing drivers licenses won’t be lifted until August. 

Hogan said that at least 70 percent of Maryland’s population has at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, far exceeding the goal of the Biden administration.

The positivity rate for cases has also been below 1 percent for a week straight.

Maryland announced their state of emergency would be ending the same day as Massachusetts, which is dropping all pandemic restrictions Tuesday. 

Maryland and Massachusetts follow most states that have completely dropped their pandemic restrictions due to the high number of residents being vaccinated.