BALTIMORE — Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott on Friday issued an executive order, doubling down on current COVID-19 restrictions.
The move comes the same day Governor Larry Hogan's order to lift most capacity limits in the state, goes into effect.
Several jurisdictions have decided to follow the state including Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne's Counties.
Beginning at 5 pm, all capacity limits will be lifted at restaurants, retail businesses, religious facilities, fitness centers, personal services, and indoor recreational establishments such as casinos, bingo halls, bowling alley, and skating rinks.
Masks will still need to be worn with social distancing in place.
None of that however will apply in Baltimore City.
Here's a breakdown of what is allowed there.
- Gatherings: Gatherings will need to comply with any relevant capacity based upon the space in which they are located.
- Religious Facilities: Limited to 25 percent of maximum occupancy.
- Retail Establishments and Malls: Limited to 25 percent of maximum occupancy.
- Indoor Recreational Establishments: All indoor recreation sites except hookah/cigar lounges will be allowed to reopen at 25 percent capacity.
- Outdoor Recreational Establishments: Limited to 25 percent of maximum occupancy.
- Organized Amateur Sports: Allowed with certain guidelines in place.
- Fitness Centers: Limited to 25 percent of maximum occupancy. Fitness classes are allowed — 10 person limit or 25 percent capacity, whichever is greater. Social distancing and masks required.
- Casinos: Limited to 25 percent of maximum occupancy. Dining areas allowed to reopen, following the requirements of food service establishments.
- Libraries: Limited to 25 percent maximum occupancy.
- Museums, Zoos, Aquariums: Limited to 25 percent of maximum occupancy.
- Foodservice Establishments: Outdoor dining can resume at 50 percent capacity. If space is tented, the tent needs to be open on all sides. Indoor dining can resume at 25 percent capacity. Bars without food licenses will also be allowed to reopen — 50 percent outdoors, 25 percent indoors.
- The one-hour time limit is removed.
- Carry-out, delivery, and drive-through service may continue.
- All foodservice establishments must keep a log of contact information for patrons and staff for contact tracing purposes.
- Personal Services: Limited to 25 percent of maximum occupancy.
- Staff must wear face coverings at all times while indoors.
- Services must be provided on an appointment-only basis, and a log must be kept of names of customers, staff providing services, and other residents who enter the shop.
- Theaters and Outdoor Entertainment Venues: Live streaming of performances is allowed. Live entertainment is permitted as long as performers wear masks and adhere to social distancing.
- Indoor theaters are limited to the lesser of 25 percent occupancy or 100 persons.
- Outdoor entertainment venues are limited to the lesser of 25 percent occupancy or 250 persons.
As of Friday the city has reported 41,415 COVID-19 cases including 887 deaths.
So far -- 52,563 city residents have received two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine with another 3,302 getting Johnson & Johnson's single dose.
