Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland
The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland. Timeline 2020 January In late January 2020, Maryland hospitals began travel screening for coronavirus when taking in new patients entering the emergency room. State health officials announced on January 30, 2020, that the first person tested in Maryland for the novel coronavirus did not have the virus. Fran Phillips, deputy state health secretary for public health services, stated that the risk for Maryland residents of contracting the virus remained low. Maryland medical facilities, educational institutions, and businesses disseminated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Towson University stated that a professor would not return to classes while a family member was tested. The University of Maryland, College Park and Towson University suspended their study abroad programs in Italy after increases in CDC alert levels. Towson suspended upcoming travel to Japan but did not suspend its current programs. February As of February 29, five people in Maryland had been tested for coronavirus, with the first two testing negative. March March 1–5 On March 5, Governor Larry Hogan confirmed the first three cases of coronavirus in Montgomery County: one married couple in their 70s and an unrelated woman