Howard County To Lift Capacity Limits, Mirroring State's Order

Ellicott City MD

10 March, 2021

9:06 PM

Description

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The county will align with Gov. Larry Hogan's recently unveiled coronavirus restrictions that lift capacity limits on restaurants, retail, religious facilities, fitness centers and personal services effective Friday at 5 p.m. The governor's order also increased capacity at large venues to 50 percent and removed the out-of-state quarantine mandate. Effective Friday at 5 p.m., Howard County's previous limits for indoor or outdoor social gatherings also will be lifted. "During the last month, we have seen our key metrics trending in the right direction, and significantly decreasing from the peak of our holiday surge," Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said in a statement. "We will continue watching our data very closely over the next two weeks, and if aligning with the governor's decision is detrimental to the health and welfare of our residents, we will not hesitate to reimpose restrictions. It is vital that our residents and businesses continue to adhere to the mask mandate and physical distancing – these two tools are critical to our recovery. Howard County residents are also encouraged to continue getting tested regularly, and especially if they are experiencing any flu-like symptoms." Dr. Maura Rossman, Howard County health officer, said the county health department tracks COVID-19 data on a daily basis and the most important metrics in Howard County remain stable. "While these limitations are being eased, it remains important that we all follow the same prevention measures of wearing masks, avoiding large gatherings, washing our hands and getting the vaccine when able to prevent another spike in COVID-19 cases in our community," Rossman said. To summarize, the following areas must have physical distancing in place even when capacity limits are lifted: All indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants. Dining must be seated and follow distance guidelines. Retail Religious facilities Gyms/fitness centers Indoor recreation Casinos Bingo hallsSkating rinks With 50 percent capacity allowed at large venues, masking and physical distancing measures must still be in place at the following: Theatres Concert venuesConventions ConferencesWedding venues Racing facilities Outdoor entertainment and sporting facilities