BALTIMORE — A Baltimore Circuit Court judge denied a temporary restraining order brought against the city’s ban on indoor and outdoor dining.
The Restaurant Association of Maryland filed legal action against Baltimore over the jurisdiction's stricter rules on restaurants back in December.
A judge then also decided to uphold Mayor Brandon Scott's dining ban.
RELATED: Baltimore restaurants react to judge ruling in favor of city's dining ban
Marshall Weston, president & CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland, released a statement on the ruling Thursday saying:
“Not only are we disappointed in the judge’s ruling, but also in what appears to be an impossible standard to meet in order for restaurants to reopen in Baltimore City. The models being used to make decisions are not based on actual events or data and are only mathematical exercises as to what might happen. In the meantime, people will continue to leave the city to dine in restaurants located in other counties and I suspect that many restaurant owners are now considering the same.”
Mayor Scott also released a statement on the decision:
"This ruling was fundamentally about the health and safety of Baltimoreans. While we're all anxious to get back to some sense of normalcy, we must continue to take precautions until the data determines it is safe to reopen. The actions we take today help protect the ones we love and avoid another shutdown like this in the future."
