All public schools in Maryland were ordered to be closed for two weeks including Prince Georges County Public Schools, and the National Guard was activated to help combat the coronavirus, Gov. Larry Hogan said at a news conference on Thursday afternoons. Hogan also signed executive orders to help contain the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic, including closing the Baltimore cruise ship terminal and shutting down major activities.
All of Maryland’s public schools will be suspended Monday, March 16  through March 27, Friday, and all buildings and buses will be washed to avoid the virus transmission before students and workers return. It will be used as recovery days the days before spring break. Plans for offering meals to students who rely on them are in the works. The schools will be open on Friday, March 13, after regular hours. In the next two weeks, teachers will spend the day studying the classes. Dr. Karen Salmon, superintendent of the state school, said the school would be in operation on days traditionally scheduled for Easter / Spring break instead. In certain schools, this ensures that on April 9, 10 and 13, classes will be held during Easter to make up some of the days due during the two-week closing.
Regular life should not stop, Hogan said, and important businesses like grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants will stay open. But one of his acts forbids such reunions of 250 or more men.
“They may sound extreme, and they may sound frightening, but they could be the difference in saving lives and keeping people safe,” Hogan said of the actions.