Name: Anne Arundel County executive to lift some restrictions starting Friday, restaurants moving to 50% capacity
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Anne Arundel County executive to lift some restrictions starting Friday, restaurants moving to 50% capacity

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AdvertisementBy Capital GazetteJan 26, 2021 at 11:26 amAnne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman will ease COVID-19 restrictions for restaurants and other businesses starting Friday in response to the decreasing case rate after the holiday surge, he said.When his new executive order takes effect, restaurants will be allowed to serve up to 50% capacity indoors. Other businesses like movie theaters and bingo halls that have been closed entirely will be allowed to open at 25% capacity, he said in a Tuesday news conference. It’s unclear whether Pittman will change outdoor dining restrictions. The county is expected to increase religious facilities’ capacity from 33% to 50%.AdvertisementCounty spokesperson Chris Trumbauer said sports will also be referenced in the Wednesday executive order, a signal to athletes and parents that the county hopes to allow the spring sports season to begin on March 1 as long as case rates don’t surge between now and then.But Trumbauer said the order wouldn’t include any immediate changes to the winter athletic season. Winter sports will remain suspended except for practices and skill sessions, he said.AdvertisementIf coronavirus metrics rise again, Pittman said he would have to to avoid overwhelming the two county hospitals. “There is a risk in doing this,” Pittman said. “Of course, if our numbers go up, we will have to go back; we will have to respond.”As it happensBe informed of breaking news as it happens and notified about other don't-miss content with our free news alerts. &gt; He encouraged residents to continue carrying out from restaurants and following public health guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus.Pittman’s easing of restrictions is expected to coincide with another wave of grants from the Anne Arundel County Economic Development Corporation with state funding — at least $3 million will be available for restaurants, and $5 million will be available for hotels, Pittman said.Even as capacity limits expand, restaurants will still be required to follow state safety guidelines, including mask orders, social distancing and 10 p.m. closures, he said.The restrictions have been in place since mid-December when Pittman acted to address the post-Thanksgiving surge in coronavirus cases. Eventually, after a multi-day court hearing, when the restaurant owners agreed to drop the case.Anne Arundel County received 2,000 fewer coronavirus vaccine doses from the Maryland Department of Health than were expected, leaving officials scrambling to orchestrate a transfer from a hospital to avoid canceling appointments, said. — Capital Gazette (@capgaznews)The decision to roll back restrictions comes as Anne Arundel County has vaccinated about 34,500 residents and is working to make the doses available to more residents. Despite the quickly trained county health workers and the field clinic, the county stood up at Live! Casino and Hotel, the pandemic is not quite over.Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, county health officer, said the relaxed restrictions indicate that “we’re headed out of the woods,” but that residents still need to adhere to public health guidelines due to the relatively small percentage of the population that has had COVID-19.Advertisement“Our goal was to avoid overwhelming our hospitals, and it looks like we are achieving that,” Kalyanaraman said. “We’ve done what we need to do to keep our hospitals intact. It’s critical that everybody keeps masking distancing and avoiding gatherings, and that’s true even if you get vaccinated.” Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Capital GazetteJan 26, 2021 at 11:26 amAnne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman will ease COVID-19 restrictions for restaurants and other businesses starting Friday in response to the decreasing case rate after the holiday surge, he said.When his new executive order takes effect, restaurants will be allowed to serve up to 50% capacity indoors. Other businesses like movie theaters and bingo halls that have been closed entirely will be allowed to open at 25% capacity, he said in a Tuesday news conference. It’s unclear whether Pittman will change outdoor dining...

Anne Arundel County executive to lift some restrictions starting Friday, restaurants moving to 50% capacity

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