MARYLAND - Governor Wes Moore has released a statement following Maryland’s issuance of a Red Alert Air Quality Condition.
In the statement, Moore assures Marylanders his office is working closely with the Department of the Environment and Department of Health to monitor the impact of the smoke from massive wildfires in Eastern Canada.
Maryland joined Delaware today in declaring a Red Alert Air Quality notice, up from orange. Parts of Wicomico County briefly reached purple levels - even higher than red - today on airnow.gov. Much of the Eastern Seaboard from Boston to Norfolk remains under at least level red air quality alerts as various wildfires in Quebec send blankets of smoke southward.
“The Maryland Department of the Environment is advising Marylanders to expect unhealthy air conditions today through at least Thursday as smoke and fine particles produced from the wildfires continue to spread over the region,” Moore says in his statement. “Air quality is currently at unhealthy levels for everyone.”
Moore points Marylanders to the Air Quality Action Guide which he says includes information on preventing negative effects from polluted air.
In response to the red alert, Moore also advises Marylanders to do the following:
-If you have lung or heart disease, stay indoors
-Air conditioning can improve the air quality indoors
-Masks (like N95s, KN95s) will reduce the particles that you breathe, but they can also make it harder to breathe
-Be alert for breathing problems in children, especially children with lung problems like asthma
-Check on neighbors and relatives with chronic health problems