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Maryland will cut indoor bar and restaurant operations by 75% to 50% in response to rising coronavirus cases and increased hospitalizations, Governor Larry Hogan announced on Tuesday.
The new limits will take effect Wednesday at 5 p.m.
“Last week I said the lights were starting to flash on the scoreboard and it looked like we were approaching a critical turning point in the fight. Today I report that we are now in the danger zone, “Hogan said at the press conference.” Too many residents and businesses are tired of COVID and have started to let their guard down. “
Public health officials have also issued a public health advisory that takes effect immediately to strongly discourage indoor gatherings of 25 or more people at family reunions or house parties. Contact tracing data has shown an increase in cases resulting from such gatherings.
In addition, health officials have issued an emergency order increasing the hospital’s peak capacity. It offers the flexibility to move patients to other care sites and add capacity if the need arises.
The announcement came after the state reported earlier today that 54 more people had been hospitalized for COVID-19 compared to the previous day. The total number of people hospitalized for the disease increased to a total of 761, the highest since June.
The decision to reduce the capacity of bars and restaurants was quickly criticized by the Maryland chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, which represents thousands of small businesses in the state.
“Instead of penalizing business owners who follow the rules and who are already at risk from declining revenues and shrinking customers, the state should continue to pursue aggressive crackdowns on willful violators.” said Mike O’Halloran, Maryland chapter director. “This step backwards could cause irreparable damage to an industry already on the brink of collapse.”
Maryland reported 1,338 new cases on Tuesday. This marks the seventh day in a row the state has had at least 1,000 cases. Maryland has reported more than 156,000 cases of the virus in total. The state also reported 12 more deaths. Maryland has reported at least 4,084 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The Republican governor also ordered the state government to revert to a period of mandatory teleworking in state agencies, except for essential services. State officials are also urging companies to take immediate steps to expand teleworking.
Hogan ordered the state health department to issue an expanded public health notice for out-of-state travel. Maryland residents are strongly discouraged from visiting any state with a positivity rate greater than 10% or any state with average case rates greater than 20 per 100,000 people.
New guidelines for retirement homes and assisted living facilities have also been issued by state officials. Staff should minimize contact with large gatherings and work with their management to quickly communicate infection control issues at their facilities, the governor’s office said. Residents should get tested for the coronavirus before their visit, under the direction.
Hogan also confirmed at the press conference that Robert Neall, the Secretary of State for Health, is retiring on December 1.
Meanwhile, the state’s health department announced the launch of a new app allowing people with smartphones to be notified if they could have been exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Starting Tuesday, residents of the state with an iPhone or Android smartphone will receive a push notification inviting them to receive exposure alerts. IPhone users can sign up by turning on show notifications in settings and selecting Maryland as their region. Android users can sign up by installing the MD COVID Alert app from the Google Play Store. The application is free and voluntary. Users can turn off exposure notifications at any time.
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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
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