Coronavirus Latest: Baltimore Has Seen Progress In Flattening Curve, But Mayor Says 'This Is No Time To Let Up'
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore's efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus appear to be working, but the city shouldn't get complacent, Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young stressed Tuesday.
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon at City Hall, Young said there has been a 51 percent increase in cases in the city since April 9. Twenty-nine people have died and 217 have been hospitalized.
Despite the increase, Young said the city has been working hard to keep the number of COVID-19 cases low.
"Baltimore, we have seen progress in flattening the curve, but this is no time to rest or let up," he said. "Everyone needs to stay home unless you are going out for an essential reason. Every time you leave your house, you put yourself and everyone in your household at risk."
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City officials continue to stress the importance of social distancing efforts in slowing the spread of the virus.
Monday night, the city council urged Young to implement an executive order requiring everyone to wear masks in public. At the news conference, Young said city leaders are still discussing such a proposal but have not made any final decisions.
The mayor added the measure will likely include language about face coverings in addition to masks since not everyone can afford to purchase masks.
Young expects the city to make a decision about the plan by the end of the week.
Several other jurisdictions, including Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, have put similar orders in place.
When it comes to whether people would follow the face covering rule, Young said it's up to individuals to heed the warnings from officials.
"As much as we want people to abide by what we're telling them ... we can only tell people; there's no 'stick' to make them do it," he said.
Last Friday, the city opened a drive-through testing site at Pimlico Race Course. On the first day it was open, workers tested 96 people, city health commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa said.
Testing was suspended on Monday due to severe weather, and 115 more people are scheduled to be tested on Tuesday, she added.
The site is still operating on an appointment-only model and patients must have a referral to make an appointment.
When it comes to opening future testing sites, Dzirasa said the city is using recently-released demographic and racial data to determine where the next sites should be, adding officials have scouted sites in both west and east Baltimore.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
