Coronavirus Restrictions Extended In Anne Arundel County: Pittman

Jacob Baumgart
·3 min read

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — County Executive Steuart Pittman extended Anne Arundel's coronavirus regulations on Wednesday. Though capacity restrictions on eateries, stores and religious facilities stayed the same, Pittman loosened rules elsewhere.

"We must keep these restrictions in place, and each one of us must continue making the personal sacrifices that will save the lives of our neighbors," Pittman said in a press release. "At the same time, we are assessing the impacts of restrictions and making adjustments where we can to protect jobs and quality of life without spreading the virus."

Easing Restrictions

Restaurants can now install outdoor "garden dome" seating. These greenhouse-looking structures partially enclose tables to protect patrons from the weather and slow airflow between diner parties.

Several businesses are already using these domes. The order just recognizes that they comply with the health code.

Indoor ice and skating rinks may reopen at 25 percent capacity. All patrons must wear masks.

The winter sports season is still paused, but small practices can resume. These groups must be limited to 25 people outdoors or 25 percent capacity indoors.

The county wants teams to rotate between stations to keep players spaced out at practice. Only 10 athletes can participate in each activity at once.

Gyms and organized teams must keep a log of everybody who enters their facilities, regardless of whether they are inside or out. Everybody involved must be masked.

Continued Regulations

Social gatherings are limited to 25 people outdoors and 10 indoors. Religious facilities must still operate at 33 percent volume. Restaurants, retailers and social clubs are still capped at a quarter capacity.

These mandates roll over from Pittman's December order to halt indoor and outdoor dining for four weeks. That ban would have lasted from Dec. 16 to Jan. 13.

Hours before the rules would have taken effect, a judge temporarily blocked the restriction, saying the county must wait until a related court case was resolved. Anne Arundel settled that case on Dec. 30 and agreed to keep restaurants open at the current 25 percent capacity.

Health metrics have continued to climb since that agreement. On Tuesday, the Anne Arundel County Department of Health reported Maryland's first two cases of a new strain of coronavirus that spreads easier.

"When we announced restrictions in December, we promised to reassess in four weeks," Pittman said. "Since that time we have unfortunately seen case rates, hospitalizations, and deaths increase in our county and across the country."

Infections are rolling in faster than ever. The county currently tallies four times as many cases-per-day as its summertime peak.

Anne Arundel's hospitalizations are nearing their April high. Both the county's hospitals are at or near record levels, Pittman noted. John's Hopkins University predicted that hospitalizations could peak in late January and early February.

"This is the last, and most deadly, battle in our war against COVID-19, and the end is near," the county executive said. "Our vaccination process is underway and hospitalization projections for the late January peak are nearing a level that is manageable. Let’s come together for these final weeks and win this battle decisively."

Pittman's executive order finishes up, reinforcing that county health inspectors have the right to access businesses to conduct evaluations. It is illegal to prevent them from entering.

The mandate is posted at this link. Frequently asked questions will soon be answered here.

To catch up on the latest coronavirus trends in Anne Arundel County, read Patch's latest update.

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Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.

This article originally appeared on the Annapolis Patch