Greater COVID protections urged; Baltimore County IG needs more authority

Yet again, Marylanders find themselves amid a winter of spiking COVID-19, influenza and RSV cases and scarce hospital beds — all while employees face mounting pressures to return to the office. It’s a national problem, but without federal safeguards, workplace protections are drastically uneven from state to state. Many Maryland workers have had no protection against retaliation for seeking to avoid COVID exposure, or exposure to other respiratory illnesses, caring for sick children or family members or raising concerns about workplace COVID safety. With a new governor and legislative session kicking off next week, our state has an opportunity to right this wrong.