St. John's woman recounts 'absolute chaos' south of the border amid COVID-19
A St. John's woman living in the United States says tensions are high, amid the country's record-high numbers of COVID-19 cases.
Robyn Dalton, who lives in Waldorf, Maryland, said the state has gone through some waves during the pandemic.
As case numbers started to settle over the summer, Gov. Larry Hogan was working on reopening the state.
"Then September, our cases started to rise again… [and] we've actually reverted into phases," she said.
"So it's actually looking a lot like it did back in March."
Maryland was averaging about 500 to 600 cases a day this fall, until that number started to rise drastically at the end of October.
The state went back into a state of emergency on Nov. 25.
On Dec. 4, COVID-19 cases peaked — with almost 3,800 announced in a single day.
As of Wednesday morning, with its population of about six million people, Maryland had 255,397 COVID-19 cases and more than 5,353 deaths.
Dalton said restaurants in Charles County, where she lives, are operating at 25 per cent capacity for dining in, while other counties aren't allowing eat-in service, only curbside takeout.
"It is mandatory in the state of Maryland — you have to wear a mask," she said, noting that stores can now deny access to any patrons not wearing the appropriate face coverings.
"Many people are wearing gloves, and we're following the six-feet-apart guidelines."
Maryland has reduced the maximum numbers for a gathering to 10 people, Dalton said, and residents can be fined for not following that regulation.
