Four members of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s staff have tested positive for the coronavirus, his spokesman Mike Ricci said Tuesday.
Hogan (R) and Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford (R) both tested negative, Ricci said, adding that all members of the governor’s staff are fully vaccinated.
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“While we cannot disclose any personal health information, COVID-19 positive cases have affected multiple members of the governor’s staff,” Ricci said in a statement. “All testing, notification, and quarantining protocols have been followed in accordance with CDC guidance, and contact tracing is underway.”
Hogan, a cancer survivor, announced on Sunday that he had received a third shot of a coronavirus vaccine last week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended third shots for people who are immunocompromised.
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The Daily Record first reported the news of the positive tests among Hogan’s staff.
Both Hogan and Rutherford recently attended parts of an annual conference put on by the Maryland Association of Counties in which state and local leaders gather in Ocean City.
The gathering, where masks were “strongly recommended,” was criticized by some who worried it would lead to more outbreaks after weeks of Maryland reporting rising case rates.
Leaders of the conference, which ran Wednesday to Saturday, also said they planned to enforce social distancing.
Ricci declined to answer further questions when asked if the governor’s staff members who tested positive were at the conference.
The seven-day average for new daily cases reported in Maryland was 1,024 on Tuesday, compared to 230 one month ago, according to The Washington Post’s tracker.