Hogan: Maryland keeping coronavirus tests acquired from South Korea at secret, protected location

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Gov. Hogan: Maryland is not ready to begin reopening

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan weighs in on White House guidelines to reopen the economy in phases.

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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told Washington Post Live on Thursday that the state has hidden coronavirus test kits it obtained from South Korea in order to prevent the federal government from seizing them for redistribution.

“The National Guard and the State Police are both guarding these tests at an undisclosed location," he said. "They’re helping us distribute the tests. They're also helping in all kinds of other humanitarian needs. We have about 1,300 members of the Maryland National Guard who've been activated."

Hogan said there was some concern regarding the safety and transport of the tests to Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Airport after other states experienced interference from federal authorities.

“We landed it [at BWI] with a large contingent of Maryland National Guard and Maryland State Police because this was an enormously valuable payload," he said earlier in the interview. "It was like Fort Knox to us, because it’s going to save the lives of thousands of our citizens."

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"There had been reports of -- for example in Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker told the story of his planeload that came in with masks, was basically confiscated by the federal government," Hogan said. "And he had to then get Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots, to fly a second mission with a private plane to try to bring some of that equipment in."

He said the process took 22 days and nights of negotiation with the Korean Embassy and State Department before the shipment could be sent. He also said state officials made sure the payload was delivered to BWI Airport, as opposed to Dulles Aiport, which is just over the border in Washington, D.C.

“At the last moment, I think 24 hours before, we got the sign-off from the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] and Border and Customs [Customs and Border Protection], to try to make sure that we landed this plane safely," Hogan explained. "We made sure it landed at BWI Airport instead of Dulles. The first time a Korean Air passenger plane has ever landed at Baltimore Washington International Airport."

This news comes just one day after Hogan mandated universal testing for all nursing home residents and staff in Maryland.

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As of Thursday evening, Maryland had more than 21,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus and over 1,000 deaths, according to the state health department.

Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report