ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) Further reopening plans for Maryland amid the coronavirus are paused in place, Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday.

The governor made the comments at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

>>WJZ has a new news app! Download it now!<<

Maryland will not move into the third phase of the Roadmap to Recovery plan until it is safe, prudent and thoroughly backed by the data and medical science, Hogan said.

We do find ourselves at a fork in the road, a critical turning point where we could either continue making progress and continue heading in the right direction or we could ignore the warnings and spike back up like much of the rest of the country, the governor said. Were making every effort to keep Maryland safely open for business.

RELATED COVERAGE:

While the number of cases and hospitalizations in the state has been climbing, Hogan said the state wont be re-implementing business closures.

Re-closing businesses has proven devastating to other states, he said.

Weve come too far together to lose the progress that weve made on the road to recovery here in Maryland, he said.

In addition, the state is urging people to postpone or cancel travel to a number of states that are seeing high infection rates and to get tested and self-quarantine upon returning.

The overall rate of Marylanders testing positive for COVID-19 is up to 4.77 percent as of Wednesday.Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Prince Georges County have positivity rates over the goal threshold of five percent, he said.

All but two of the states jurisdictions Cecil County and Calvert County have tested at least ten percent of their population.

The number one activity of people who tested positive for the virus recently was attending a family gathering, Hogan said, followed by attending house parties and outdoor events.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Departments website or call 211. You can find all of WJZs coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.

The rest is here:

Marylands Reopening Paused Due To Latest Increases In COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, Hogan Says - CBS Baltimore