Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday that he will allow additional businesses to reopen starting Friday and mentioned the possibility of moving into stage two of reopening next week if current coronavirus trends continue.
“After another 14 days of continued encouraging trends, Maryland is ready to take the additional steps to complete stage one of our gradual, safe, and effective recovery plan,” Mr. Hogan said at a press conference.
Starting 5 p.m. Friday, restaurants and social organizations, like American Legion and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, will be able to open for outdoor dining. Outdoor pools, youth sports and day camps will be able to open partially, he said.
The Republican governor pointed to Maryland’s declining positivity rate of coronavirus tests, which over the last 40 days has dropped from 26.9% to 12.8%, as a key metric used to determine eased restrictions.
About two weeks ago, many counties in Maryland decided to not enter phase one of reopening due to their high concentrations of COVID-19 cases. Mr. Hogan said Wednesday that all but Montgomery County has either entered phase one or announced plans to do so.
“There seems to be some confusion,” Mr. Hogan said. “The county leaders aren’t really paying attention to the state plan, they are kinda making up their own metrics.”
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said Wednesday at a press conference that he felt good about the county’s statistics and that he said last week the county might be able to open up in a week or two.
“We still are in that time frame,” Mr. Elrich said. “We think that’s actually possible.”
Montgomery County, the state’s most populous, has the highest number of coronavirus deaths in Maryland (535) and the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases (10,467). Prince George’s County has recorded the highest number of cases, 14,100.
In the District, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed Wednesday an executive order that moves the city into phase one of reopening, after the District reached its 14th day of declined community transmission of the coronavirus.
“We have a shared responsibility to stop the spread of the virus, even as we reopen,” Miss Bowser said at a press conference. “We also have a special responsibility to protect those who are vulnerable because of age, underlying conditions or health disparities. By taking these responsibilities seriously we can continue to make progress and move toward getting our kids back to school and people back to work”
“If we don’t take them seriously we risk losing the progress we’ve made by our shared sacrifice,” the Democratic mayor added.
Under phase one, which starts at 12:01 a.m. Friday,:
• The mayor’s stay-at-home order will be lifted.
• Retail businesses can offer curbside and delivery.
• Barbershops and hair salons can provide services by appointment only.
• Restaurants can open for outdoor dining, with a limit of six people per table and a requirement of six feet between each table.
• Dog parks, golf courses, parks, tennis courts and tracks and fields can open.
Playgrounds, public and private pools, recreation centers and other indoor D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation facilities will remain closed. Contact sports are prohibited, as are waxing, threading, electrolysis and nail care services.
Although the stay-at-home order is lifted, Miss Bowser said D.C. residents are still encouraged to stay home, practice social distancing, wear face coverings and frequently wash their hands, calling this new phase “stay-at-home lite.”
“The number of nonessential activities and types of nonessential activities you participate in may pose a risk to someone else who is part of a vulnerable population,” said Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of the D.C. Department of Health. “And so you should keep that in mind, that the number of exposures you create for yourself may put that person at risk.”
In Virginia, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced Wednesday that he will transition his city into phase one of reopening on Friday.
Like the rest of the commonwealth, under phase one in Richmond, non-essential retailers and places of worship can open at 50% capacity, entertainment businesses will remain closed, hair salons can open by appointment only and restaurants can open for outdoor seating with 50% capacity.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday rejected Mr. Stoney’s request to enter a modified phase one under which places of worship and barbershops would have remained closed.
“To our faith communities, I recommend you continue to operate virtually and refrain from in person gatherings,” Mr. Stoney said at Wednesday’s press conference. “If you choose to gather in person, I strongly recommend you to do so outdoors, while practicing strict social distancing.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.