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Several people who attended the Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City last week have since tested positive for COVID-19, the association said Tuesday in a notice to the thousands of attendees.
础诲诲颈迟颈辞苍补濒濒测,听The Daily Record听听that at least four aides to Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) have tested positive for coronavirus, and that at least two of them attended the conference that drew more than 2,000 state and local elected officials, county employees, and state workers.
鈥淥ut of an abundance of caution, both the governor and lieutenant governor received COVID tests, which came back negative. All members of the governor鈥檚 staff are fully vaccinated,鈥� spokeswoman Kata Hall听.
Masks were听听at the convention itself, but policies were varied at after-hours fundraisers and receptions. In May, Hogan allowed a statewide mask mandate to lapse, and he鈥檚 encouraged vaccination as the best way to stop the spread of COVID.
But public health officials have voiced grave concerns about the delta variant of COVID-19, which is leading to a spike in cases nationwide. On Tuesday, there were 847 newly reported COVID cases in Maryland.
Hogan, who often travels with a small group of aides and advisers, attended multiple events in Worcester County last week. On Thursday, he attended a Change Maryland fundraiser at Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel and an outdoor cocktail reception at Ropewalk Ocean City later that evening.
On Friday, he held a press conference announcing a broadband initiative at the Snow Hill Old Fire Hall and toured businesses and a vaccination clinic in the town, before walking the Ocean City Boardwalk. He also toured the conference鈥檚 indoor exhibition hall and took photos at the outdoor tented crab feast on Friday.
It was unknown Tuesday how much interaction Hogan had with members of his staff who tested positive. Hogan鈥檚 staff did not immediately respond to emails from听Maryland Matters.
On Sunday, Hogan, a cancer survivor, announced that he had received a third COVID vaccine shot after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended boosters for some immunocompromised people.
Michael Sanderson, executive director of MACo, said late Tuesday evening that he did not have an exact figure of potential positive cases, but was aware of and was responding to media reports of the infections among the governor鈥檚 staff.
Hall听听that 鈥渁ll testing, notification, and quarantining protocols have been followed, in accordance with CDC guidance, and contact tracing is underway.鈥�
