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APRIL 17, 2020
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OC task force maps strategy for recovery By Josh Kim Staff Writer (April 17, 2020) Facing an unprecedented pandemic that has battered the resort’s tourism industry and overall economy, local business leaders have created a task force to map a path to recovery. “Soon after the crisis hit, we held a Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) meeting to gather stakeholders,” said Susan Jones, Ocean City Susan Jones Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association (OCHMRA) executive director. “During this meeting, we realized we needed to guide recovery to ensure our hospitality businesses had some chance for survival.” Officially coined the Ocean City Tourism Recovery Task Force Team, the group consists of members of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, OCHMRA Board of Directors, Ocean City interim Tourism Director Jessica Waters, Ocean City Tourism Commission Chairman (City Councilman) Matt James, Worcester County Economic, Development, Tourism and Recreation and Parks Director Tom Perlozzo and Mayor Rick Meehan. Since its first meeting the week of March 23, the team has tackled an increasingly long list of tasks. “I have always been a very humble person, but I will admit that I’ve never worked harder in my life,” Jones said. “I did the carryout list, gift card list and [created the] EAT LOCAL OCMD [Facebook page]. “Kim Klump and Ron Pilling, of the Jesse Klump Foundation, arranged the free mental health program. The County Economic Development has led weekly calls to
800-641-0011
coordinate all the groups to stay in tune with all the loans/grants, etc. — [there has been] lots of collaboration and info sharing to keep us on the same page.” The team has met several times, but often conducts business via email. One focus of these meetings has been the J-1 student summer work travel program, which was placed on a 60-day hold on March 11. As previously reported by Ocean City Today, the delay has affected some students and sponsor organizations’ participation in the program. The team also expressed its concern over unemployment insurance checks, and whether they will act as an incentive for people to not work. At this stage, the team will be looking into working with Shore Transit, Lower Shore Workforce alliance and the city to provide free transportation for county workers. See TASK Page 2
JOSH KIM/OCEAN CITY TODAY
CLIMBING HIGH Scaffolding around the water tower on First Street grows taller each day, as workers prepare the site for water blasting and painting.
County hires procurement Spring Cruisin’ manager to secure supplies hot rods idled By Elizabeth Bonin Staff Writer (April 17, 2020) It might have been short, but the Worcester County Commissioners’ meeting Tuesday was notable for its approach — it was their first virtual meeting, accomplished with the increasingly popular Zoom video conferencing program. The next meeting, set for April 21, will also be held via Zoom and has an option that allows public viewing. Also an usual move for county officials on Tuesday was the commissioners’ hiring of a procurement manager on a temporary basis to aid
the county’s pursuit of health care supplies. New hire Sergio Castillo is charged with rounding up supplies for the county and other agencies in response to the coronavirus pandemic during the state of emergency. Harold Higgins, chief administrative officer, said he consulted with Director of Emergency Services Billy Birch, Emergency Services Assistant Director James Hamilton and Worcester County Fire Marshal Jeff McMahon, all of whom have worked with Castillo. Higgins confirmed with County See CONTRACTOR Page 2
by coronavirus
By Josh Kim Staff Writer (April 17, 2020) Cruisin’ Ocean City participants should keep their cars parked until next year, as the event, scheduled for May 14-16, has been canceled because of the coronavirus. “We started talking about it [canceling] early on,” said Bob Rothermel, T.E.A.M. productions owner and event co-organizer. Rothermel said he and the other organizers initially hoped the virus See SPRING Page 2
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Ocean City Today
APRIL 17, 2020
Spring car cruise called off because of virus pandemic Continued from Page 1 would settle down by May and Cruisin’ would not be affected. This would have been the event’s 30th year. However, as the pandemic spread and government mandates became stricter, it was clear that hosting the annual event in May was a pipe dream. “Even if restrictions were loosened, would visitors come down? You just don’t know the answer to that,” Rothermel said, pointing to the financial burden the virus has caused nationwide. Additionally, Cruisin’ draws participants from all over the country, with guests coming from as far as Colorado and Canada. While Maryland may lift its ban by April 30, other states might not do so until the end of May or the end of June. With this in mind, Rothermel said it was necessary to announce the postponement early enough so that participants had at least 30 days to cancel hotel reservations and travel plans. “Given all that is going on around us, we cannot in good conscience risk the health and well-being of our participants, sponsors, spectators, vendors, entertainment, staff, as well as the Ocean City community,” an April 10 press release states. All pre-registered participants and spectators have had their registration and tickets automatically transferred to the 2021 event, slated for May 20-23. Additionally, those who wish to transfer their registration or tickets to the Endless Summer Cruisin’ event, scheduled for Oct. 8-11, can do so. Jay Leno — comedian, actor, writer, producer and former latenight television host — will still come to Ocean City, but during Endless Summer Cruisin’, instead, on Thursday, Oct. 8. Another show will be added on Friday, Oct. 9, and tickets will be on sale for that show beginning Friday, April 10, at noon. Thirty years ago, Ocean City’s offseason was truly that — an off-season. To entice more people to the resort, the City Council, particularly then-Councilman Jim Hall, sought to up the ante by introducing more special events. Jack Hennen, one of Cruisin’s organizers, brought the car show idea to Rothermel, when the latter worked for the city as its tourism director, and from there the event bloomed into what it is today — a nationally recognized car event. In its infancy, the event was held in conjunction with Springfest, which had been created around the same time, in the inlet parking lot.
During its inaugural year, Rothermel said he remembered how shocked people were to see 300 or so cars parade up and down Coastal Highway. Since then, the event has grown tenfold, and boasts more than 3,000 customs, hot rods, street machines and classic vehicles. While this year’s show has been canceled, Rothermel said the organizers were working on a virtual car show where participants could show off their vehicles and win awards, all from the safety of their homes. “We’re all in this together,” Rothermel said. “Like John F. Kennedy said, a rising tide lifts all boats, and we’re on this boat together.” To transfer your ticket to the Endless Summer Cruisin’ event, call 410-7986304 or email info@specialeventpro.com For more info on the virtual car show visit https://www.facebook. com/pg/CruisinOceanCityMD/posts /?ref=page_internal.
JOSH KIM/OCEAN CITY TODAY
During Monday’s Tourism Commission meeting, Susan Jones, Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association executive director, top right, updated the group on goals undertaken by the Tourism Advisory Board born Ocean City Tourism Recovery Task Force Team.
Task force maps plan for recovery once resort opens
Cruisin’ Ocean City 2020, scheduled for May 14-16, was cancelled because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Contractor hired by county to help with procurement Continued from Page 1 Commissioner Jim Bunting that this service is only for the duration of the coronavirus outbreak and can be terminated when commissioners decide. He also clarified that Castillo’s services may be needed to help Atlantic General Hospital’s mortuary, which can only hold two people at a time. If the infection rate in Worcester escalates, Higgins said it may or may not be appropriate to use the nursing home in Berlin to store bodies.
“It was determined you’d have to go out and get a Sysco trailer or something to house the mortuary issues,” Higgins said. “We really don’t have the capability for someone on staff to have that ability procure that.” He added that Castillo could use his contacts to secure additional resources to address the coronavirus. Higgins believes this emergency protective measure may be reimbursable.
Continued from Page 1 Also on the minds of members has been the city’s marketing campaign. Traditionally, the city’s advertisements have pushed an image of a “family fun resort,” but members felt that message was inappropriate in light of the current public health crisis. Instead, the team discussed launching a “getting ready for you” campaign, which will feature real business owners and employees preparing for the eventual reopening of the resort. “Without tourism, there is no Ocean City,” Jones said. “As the main economic driver, we must do all that is humanly possible to sustain our community. “The taxes generated by tourism businesses are critical to the financial success of our city and thousands who are employed by these businesses.” As TAB is composed of private sector and nonprofit groups, the task force does not have to advertise its meetings, and future meetings will not be opened to the public. However, “It is critically important to note that the recovery team is inclusive,” Jones said “[It’s the] private and public sector working together to navigate our way through this — we could never do it alone and everyone is helping in their own way.” For those with questions, concerns or suggestions, email them to susanjones@ocvisitor.com.
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Happy Place campaign tells visitors to stay home, be safe By Josh Kim Staff Writer (April 17, 2020) It’s been Ocean City’s marketing practice over the years to employ advertising to encourage people to coming to Ocean City for a family fun, beach vacation. The city’s most recent marketing campaign, however, urges visitors to stay home, and be safe. “The council decided when they had made the decision to really stop inviting visitors to Ocean City, to close the beach and Boardwalk, it certainly wasn’t the right time to continue the advertisements as we had been,” City Communications Jessica Waters Manager Jessica Waters said during Monday’s Ocean City Tourism Commission meeting. Therefore, the city halted of all its advertisements, and, after a brief stasis, began to develop a new marketing campaign with MGH, said Waters, who also has just been named the city’s interim tourism director, “We certainly wanted to be empathetic with what people were dealing with around the country … but we wanted to stay present, we wanted to stay in the mind of our visitors, so we came up [with what] we call the Happy Place campaign,” Waters said. The resulting product was a feel-good campaign that urges visitors to stay safe at home, but reminded them that the resort would be here when life is good again. Four of these commercials — two 15 and two 30-second versions — are currently on the city’s social media platforms and multiple television stations.
“For so many of us, Ocean City Maryland is our happy place,” one of the Happy Place advertisements begins. “It’s where we go to relax and spend a few precious days with family and friends, but right now there’s only place you should be, with the people you love, taking care of each other. Your happy place will be here when it’s time to venture out again. The sun will be shining and the sand will be warm — until then, stay healthy, and know that you have a place in our hearts.” With the Happy Place commercials on air, Waters said the city is now working on a follow-up marketing strategy. “We really want to focus on what’s next, and being ready for when it’s time to open, what will our message be, how will we be reaching people and really focus a lot of time into the campaigns that are going to follow this time that we’re in now,” Waters said.
State releases zip codes of positive coronavirus cases By Elizabeth Bonin Staff Writer (April 17, 2020) Maryland had confirmed 10,784 positive coronavirus cases as of Thursday morning, with 2,722 in Prince George’s County, 2,133 in Montgomery, 1,516 in Baltimore, 1,160 in Baltimore City, 896 in Anne Arundel, 497 in Frederick, 451 in Howard, 327 in Charles, 283 in Carroll, 161 in Harford, 109 in Washington, 103 in Calvert, 101 in Cecil, 98 in St. Mary’s, 87 in See ZIP CODE Page 4
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APRIL 17, 2020
Ocean City Today
CORONAVIRUS CASES IN WORCESTER COUNTY TIMELINE: March 19 – Worcester County confirms its first case of coronavirus, a male in his 30s March 21 – A woman in her 20s tests positive March 30 – A third positive case diagnosed out of state is confirmed April 1 – A woman in her 20s tests positive April 2 – A man in his 40s tests positive; health department releases three cases from public monitoring April 4 – A man in his 40s and a woman in her 60s test positive April 5 – A man in his 60s and a woman in her 30s test positive April 6 – A man in his 40s tests for a total of 10 positive cases in Worcester; four total cases have been released from public monitoring April 9 – Six more people test positive April 13 – Five more people test positive April 15 – An out-of-county resident tests positive April 16 – Three more people test positive for a total of 25 cases; nine individuals have been released from public monitoring
ELIZABETH BONIN/OCEAN CITY TODAY
The decontamination station at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin disinfects emergency service vehicles.
Zip code data requires at least eight cases Continued from Page 3 Wicomico, 25 in Worcester, 23 in Caroline, 20 in Allegany, 19 in Queen Anne’s, 18 in Dorchester, 14 in Talbot, 11 in Kent, six in Somerset and four in Garrett. Worcester has had nine new cases since last week. One is an out-of-county resident. The Worcester County Health Department has not reported on the ages and sex of the new cases since last week. As of Wednesday, the department has received 301 Covid-19 tests and has released nine individuals from public health monitoring. Starting last week, the Maryland Department of Health is releasing data based on zip codes. As of Thursday, there were 11 cases in the 21811 zip code in Berlin and Ocean Pines. The state is only releasing information on zip codes that have at least eight positive cases. “These are reported cases, not everyone is being tested — only the most ill
cases are being tested,” the health department said in a statement. “Other cases with milder symptoms would not be reflected in the data, so do not consider one area of the county as less risk than any other just because of the case counts or map data.” The state also released information on race – 3,978 cases are African-American, 2,535 are white, 239 are Asian, 376 are “other” and the was no data for the remaining 2,476 individuals. The state health department said African-Americans and other minority communities have a higher rate of infection because they’re more likely to have pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma. Most cases have been in the ages 5059 range at 2,138 cases, closely followed by 1,958 cases in the 40-49 age range. More females have been diagnosed at 5,817 cases, compared to 4,967 males,
but more males have died at 205 deaths and 187 deaths for females. Symptoms of coronavirus are fever, coughing, shortness of breath and, in more serious cases, pneumonia. It is spread through respiratory droplets, personal contact or surface contact with the virus on it. Atlantic General Hospital personnel said people who are experiencing these symptoms or have come into contact with a confirmed case should call their medical providers so they can prepare with the proper protective gear. They said do not show up unannounced to a medical facility. The hospital is streamlining coronavirus testing to the 10th Street Atlantic Immediate Care. There are a few other urgent cares conducting tests if the individual cannot get to the 10th Street location, according to the health department. Atlantic General said test results may
take several days since there is a large volume of tests going into a limited number of labs. When a case is confirmed positive, the health department conducts contact tracing to inform individuals and businesses that may have come into contact with the positive case. The hospital has opened a decontamination station for emergency services vehicles across Healthway Drive in Berlin. The Worcester County Health Department has opened a hotline Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to determine if a person should be tested. Call 410632-1100 and select option eight. For general information on the coronavirus call the health department 24/7 at 410-632-4321 or visit worcesterhealth.org. View updates from Atlantic General at atlanticgeneral.org/patientsvisitors/covid-19-updates/. To track Maryland cases, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov/.
Circuit court operates at limited capacity By Elizabeth Bonin Staff Writer (April 17, 2020) Although the closure of Maryland’s court system will now continue until June 5 because of the Covid19 pandemic, that doesn’t mean they will be non-functioning. The March 16 to May 1 closure that was extended Tuesday is not absolute
and courts are only partially closed. Judge Brian Shockley, administrative judge for the Worcester County Circuit Court, clarified Wednesday that the court is still operating at a limited capacity. “We continue to process all pleading and manners that do not require a court hearing,” Shockley said. “Additionally, we will continue to hear emergency mat-
ters such as bail reviews, guardianships, child welfare cases, juvenile detentions and emergency custody cases.” He added that the court will hear other cases, if deemed appropriate, and some may be heard remotely. Typical criminal cases and other non-emergency cases will be deferred until the courts open on a regular basis.
“Family law clinic is still available by telephone to assist the public in family law and guardianship matters,” Shockley said. The court is still operating from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day with essential personnel reporting. Staff are working from home as long as it doesn’t affect the operations of the court, Shockley said.
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Ocean City Today
State unemployment rises to over 100,000 Filings for Worcester County slightly decrease to 1,355 for week ending on April 4
By Elizabeth Bonin Staff Writer (April 17, 2020) The number of unemployment applications in Maryland has increased for the fourth week in a row for a total of 108,508 filings in the week ending on April 4. The state had 84,230 filings in the week ending on March 28. Worcester County’s new unemployment filings slightly decreased from the week before, shifting from 1,415 filings in the week ending on March 28 to 1,355 filings in the week ending on April 4. The spike is largely due to the coronavirus pandemic and social dis-
tancing restrictions. Before the pandemic hit, Worcester County weekly unemployment filings were in the 30s. Many restaurants and other nonessential businesses have temporarily closed and laid off workers. Ocean City Mayor Meehan made an emergency declaration on April 7 for hotels to terminate short-term rental reservations for April and to not accept reservations for the month. Fewer than 10 hotels in Ocean City are open and those that remain open are only serving essential workers. In turn, the Worcester County Commissioners declared that all nonessential short-term rentals in unincorporated Worcester County should cancel reservations until Gov. Larry Hogan’s stay-at-home order is lifted. There is no deadline on the mandate.
Hotels are doing a mix of paying their nonworking employees, paying them a reduced salary and temporarily laying off workers. Some hotels that are open are hiring more, as the essential workers are being streamlined to a limited number of lodgings that are working with a skeleton staff. Since the Ocean City beach and Boardwalk are closed through April 30, that brings in less traffic for the essential businesses that remain open, causing them to lose money and workers. Hogan announced last Friday that the state department of labor would double staffing at unemployment claim centers and expand call center hours to Saturdays to handle the sharp increase of filings. Comptroller Peter Franchot estimated a $2.8 billion shortfall in the coming months
for the state. Hogan has not yet signaled when the Maryland economy might re open. Under the federal CARES Act, unemployment benefits now include an additional $600 and 13 more weeks of benefits than Maryland’s typical 26 weeks. The benefit amounts are calculated based on the income received over the past 18 months. The search for work requirement has been temporarily waived. The deadline to enroll with the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, was set to end mid-April, but has been extended until June 15 so those who have lost their employer-based insurance due to the coronavirus can apply for health insurance.
State and local mandates working, less crowds in OC By Josh Kim Staff Writer (April 17, 2020) State and local orders limiting travel and closing the beach and Boardwalk apparently worked over the holiday weekend, as police saw fewer people attempting to roam Ocean City’s two main attractions. “With the high visibility of police on the beach and Boardwalk, along with the new declaration signage posted at the Boardwalk entrances, we saw less people on the Ashley Miller Boardwalk and beaches this weekend,” said Ashley Miller, police spokeswoman. “Overall, we are seeing compliance from our community. We will continue to be out on patrol and educating our community.” While Ocean City residents are subject to social gathering orders and
distancing guidelines, locals may continue to access the beach and Boardwalk for exercise and dog walking, as per signs with the mayor’s declaration posted at street ends. Although residents were not able to indulge in traditional Easter egg hunts and outings, the Easter Bunny, which recently was declared an essential worker by Gov. Larry Hogan, made trips around the resort and West Ocean City on Sunday, escorted by the Ocean City Fire Department, Maryland State Police from the Berlin barrack and Worcester County Sheriff’s Office. “The hope of the fire department and our law enforcement agencies is that folks remember we are in this together, and even though they can’t celebrate Easter with family and friends, their police and fire departments are wishing them a Happy Easter,” said Ryan Whittington, president of the local chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
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Ocean City police did not encounter large crowds Easter weekend, spokeswoman Ashley Miller said. The mayor’s declaration, which closed off the beach and Boardwalk to non-residents, is posted on street ends throughout the resort.
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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL RESTAURANTS During this difficult time for our local restaurants, we would like to ask you to please support them as much as you can - take a break from cooking and order take-out. You can also help them by purchasing gift cards for use at a later time. Contact us by phone, e-mail or mail if you are looking to Buy, Sell or Rent Check our Website for Active Listings Call Cam Bunting: 410-713-2065 24 Broad Street, Berlin, MD 21811 • 410-641-3313
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This is not a guarantee to extend consumer credit as defined by Section 1026.2 of Regulation Z. All loans are subject to credit approval and property appraisal. First Home Mortgage Corporation NMLS ID #71603 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Licensed in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Kari Story, NMLS#476369.