Gov. Larry Hogan announces an executive order closing all non-essential businesses.
On March 23, Governor Larry Hogan signed another executive order aimed at banning large crowds and closing all non-essential businesses.
The new executive order closes senior centers, theaters and malls. The executive order also closes fitness centers, which include health clubs, gyms, health spas, and aquatic centers.
The order goes on to close bingo halls, bowling alleys, pool halls, amusement parks, roller and ice skating rinks, golf courses, tattoo parlors, tanning salons, barber shops and beauty salons.
Social and fraternal clubs, such as American Legion posts, VFW posts, and Elks Clubs are all closed as well until further notice.
Restaurants are closed for the time being, but can continue carry-out operations.
All essential business, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, will remain operational during this time.
These businesses fall into 13 categories: healthcare and public health, law enforcement and first responders, food and agriculture, energy, water and wastewater, transportation and logistics, public works, community based government operations, critical manufacturing, hazardous materials, financial services, chemical work, defense industrial base.
Healthcare and Public Health
Healthcare and public health workers include all hospital staff, emergency responders, primary care physicians, pharmacy employees, and any staff that provides support or maintenance work in the support of those healthcare workers.
Law Enforcement and First Responders
Law enforcement and first responders, such as police officers, fire-fighters, corrections officers, 911 call center employees, and EMTs are all considered essential employees.
Food and Agriculture
Food and agriculture workers are also deemed essential employes. These include grocery, pharmacy, and convenience store workers. These also include food manufacturers, truck drivers responsible for shipping food products, warehouse workers involved in the food supply chain, and company cafeteria workers.
Agricultural supply manufacturers, farm workers, and employees involved in the production of paper products are also considered essential workers.
Energy
Workers involved in the production, installment, monitoring, or servicing of any type of energy including electricity, petroleum production, or natural and propane gas, are deemed essential workers. Employees responsible for emergency servicing of these energy types through call center notification or maintenance are also deemed essential workers.
Water and Wastewater
Wastewater employees responsible for managing community water systems, wastewater treatment facilities or wastewater collection facilities have all been deemed essential workers at this time as well.
Transportation and Logistics
Transportation workers have been deemed essential personnel by the Department of Homeland Security as well. These workers include mass transit workers, bus drivers, truck drivers and truck stop personnel.
Air cargo transportation has been deemed essential, including flight crews and airport operations staff. Postal and shipping workers, even those employed by private companies, are all considered essential.
Manufacturers of packaging and shipping materials such as crates, pallets, and packing supplies have also been deemed essential.
Automotive repair and maintenance facilities have been marked as essential.
Public Works
Public works employees are deemed essential. These employees include workers in charge of operating and maintaining dams, locks, and levees; bridges, water and main sewer lines; traffic signals; buried utilities; and communications infrastructure such as call towers, cable providers, and satellite operations.
Workers responsible for road clearing and in charge of the removal of waste have been deemed essential by the DHS guidelines as well.
Community-Based Government Operations
Community-Based government operations are deemed essential as well. These employees include elections personnel, weather forecasters, workers in charge of licensing transportation workers, customs workers in charge of monitoring the supply chain, and public and private school teachers.
Critical Manufacturing
Critical manufacturing employees includes workers manufacturing medical supplies, producing energy, food or agriculture, chemical manufacturing, and nuclear supplies. Employees responsible for maintaining the operations of dams, water and wastewater treatment and emergency services are also considered critical manufacturing employees.
Hazardous Materials
Employees at nuclear facilities, or those responsible for managing medical or pharmaceutical waste are deemed essential. Workers responsible for hazardous materials cleanup are also considered essential.
Financial Services
Financial services workers are deemed essential by DHS. These workers include those responsible for processing financial transactions, insurance services, and maintenance of capital market activities.
Workers responsible for providing access to banks and lending services are also essential.
Chemical Work
Employees responsible for protecting and maintaining chemical supply chains, producing chemical supplies including cleaning products or food additives, or transporting high risk chemicals are all deemed essential.
Defense Industrial Base
Workers responsible for maintaining national security commitments are essential. Aerospace, mechanical and software engineers, manufacturing and production workers; IT support, security staff, security personnel, intelligence support, aircraft and weapon system mechanics are included in these essential staff. These workers include Department of Defense subcontractors.
All other businesses will remain closed until further notice.
