Social Distancing During the Upcoming Holidays

Dear Colleagues:

As we look to our week ahead, many of you who recognize the upcoming Passover and Easter holidays may be struggling with how to celebrate in our current circumstance. In my home, we are also adjusting and coming to terms with how this year will be different for us and our extended family as we maintain social distancing. 

For many, this may be the first time they do not attend church service on Easter Sunday or prepare Seder dinner for only those in their immediate household, but what we know about our faith traditions is that they are timeless and are infused with messages of hope. I encourage you to try and find ways to embrace our current situation and think creatively about how you can still recognize those traditions that are important to you while practicing safe behaviors like social distancing. 

I also ask that you, as health care professionals on the front lines of this response, use your voice in your communities to encourage social distancing throughout the holidays. Our workforce has a powerful voice right now and many are looking to you to set the tone and example. We take our role as anchor institutions in the communities we serve seriously, especially in moments like this when it matters the most. 

When this is behind us and we settle back into our normal routines, we will always remember how we came together when our community and state needed us. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t tell me about the herculean efforts of the 28,000 strong across our System. 

For those who celebrate the upcoming holidays, my best wishes to you and your families.

In gratitude,


Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland Medical System
The Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Professor of Radiation Oncology
University of Maryland School of Medicine