County Gives Debit Cards To Unemployed, Masks Required Outside

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Businesses are moving out of their coronavirus shutdowns, but Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman does not believe that is enough to jump-start the economy. Easing gathering restrictions also poses a threat for a spike in coronavirus cases, he says.

To reinvigorate the economy and further protect public health, Pittman announced a series of initiatives at a press conference Thursday to keep Anne Arundel County open. The two most prominent initiatives will give debit cards to residents not covered by unemployment and add to the county’s mask requirements.

The debit card program, called the Excluded Worker Humanitarian Fund, will give $500 to 4,000 people who lost their jobs but were not eligible for the state’s unemployment insurance. The aid package totals $2 million.

Residents can apply for the money at this link starting Monday at 9 a.m. The application will also be available in Spanish.

“Every dollar we spend protecting these people from the harsh economic impacts of this pandemic is a dollar or more saved down the road in social services,” Pittman said.

People who did not qualify for unemployment include contractors, free-lancers, the self-employed and undocumented immigrants. Applicants will not have to prove their citizenship to apply for the funds, Pittman said.

The money for this initiative comes from federal legislation passed in March called the CARES Act. This gave states and counties extra funding to combat the fallout from coronavirus. The same legislation also gave small businesses loans to continue paying employees while they were closed.

Anne Arundel County had a 2.9 percent unemployment rate in March. By May, that number reached 9.1 percent.

More than 75,000 Anne Arundel County residents have filed for unemployment, said Kirkland Murray, the president and CEO of the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation. Murray added that coronavirus cost the county 6,000 food and accommodations jobs and 2,000 retail positions.

“It’s getting desperate for tens of thousands of county residents, and the holes in our safety net are gaping,” Pittman said.

Pittman’s initiatives also addressed how the county would prevent the spike in coronavirus cases that other states have seen as they reopen. The most notable policy was a new requirement to wear masks in all public places where social distancing is not possible. The mandate will take effect at 5 p.m. on Friday.

The previous order required patrons and workers to wear masks inside non-residential buildings. Now, residents will also have to wear a mask outside when they cannot stay six feet away from other people. The new regulation adds outdoor shopping centers, downtown areas and other busy public places to the list of where masks are required.

“We cannot allow the actions of a small number of irresponsible business owners to cause an industry-wide shutdown like we’ve seen in other states,” Pittman said, noting that he does not want to reimpose coronavirus closures.

Anne Arundel County and Annapolis Police will offer masks to anybody not wearing one, said Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, the Anne Arundel County health officer. Police will give informational flyers to people violating the mask policy.

If violators refuse to comply, police will give them a warning. If police catch them without a mask again, they will issue a fine. Kalyanaraman said the cost of that fine has not yet been decided. Enforcement will focus on encouraging mask usage rather than punishment, he said.

Wearing a mask reduces the chances of transmitting and catching coronavirus, health experts say. Research conducted by the University of Washington predicts that universal mask usage could drastically slow the spread of coronavirus. Compared to current projections, 45,000 fewer people would die from coronavirus if every American wore a mask in public, the study suggests.

While Maryland’s daily coronavirus cases have slowed, researchers believe that the state’s mask usage is far from universal. A University of Maryland survey found that, as of June 13, less than 40 percent of Marylanders report always wearing a mask in public.

Still, the positivity rate, hospitalizations and daily cases continue to drop in Maryland, unlike its neighboring states. These declines follow Gov. Larry Hogan’s push to test more than 10 percent of Marylanders. So far, 12 jurisdictions have met that goal.

Anne Arundel County is nearing that benchmark, having tested 8.3 percent of its population. The county’s 5,391 coronavirus cases are the fifth most in the state. Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, Baltimore County and Baltimore City all have more cases.

Another health initiative that Pittman announced Thursday may help the county reach and exceed Hogan’s testing goal. Pittman now wants to test at least 2 percent of the county’s population every week. The county is currently testing about 1 percent of its residents per week.

Pittman said the county will reach that goal by expanding drive-through testing. His administration is currently exploring adding more testing locations in Glen Burnie, where free coronavirus testing has been a hit.

Another plan Pittman announced Thursday includes a Rapid Reemployment Program to enhance adults’ job readiness skills. The program will also pay for occupational training programs in high-growth fields like informational technology and trades.

Lastly, a Youth Employment Program will help 100 young people prepare to enter the workforce through training and hands-on experience with county agencies. The participants, aged 16 to 24, will get a stipend of $11-per-hour.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Pittman said. “Just when we thought we were done, we’re buckling down.”

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