Gov. Hogan says Maryland 'hoping for the best but preparing for the worst' amid growing coronavirus concerns

WASHINGTON - Governor Larry Hogan says Maryland is treating the coronavirus threat very seriously and is continuing to take precautions amid growing concerns.

"It's something that people should not be panicked about. But they should be concerned and they should be paying attention and staying aware of what's going on," he told FOX 5's Bob Barnard Thursday on Capitol Hill.

Hogan said results for all people tested in Maryland for potential cases of COVID-19 have come back negative. Earlier this week, Hogan announced that Maryland's State Public Health Laboratory was approved to test for coronavirus and will no longer have to wait for test results to be returned from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's labs in Georgia.

“We’re hoping for the best but preparing for the worst,” Hogan told Barnard. “We've got our entire health and emergency management teams working, We're meeting with our cabinet and we're just trying to keep people informed.”

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As chairman of the National Governors Association, Hogan said he meet with Vice President Pence earlier this week to discuss the response in states across the nation.

Hogan said contingency plans are ready if needed to deal with any potential impact from the coronavirus. "We have to assume that it's certainly possible that we're going to be dealing with it as well. Thankfully we're not yet," he said.

The governor said the federal government has been working with the states who are on the front line in the fight against the spread of the virus. MORE ONLINE from Gov. Hogan and coronavirus prepardness in Maryland: https://phpa.health.maryland.gov/Pages/Novel-coronavirus.aspx