State capacity limits on dining in Maryland are being lifted at 5 p.m. on Friday.
But during a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Larry Hogan said that restaurants and bars will still be limited to seated and distanced service only.
The state is also lifting capacity limits on retail businesses, religious facilities, fitness centers, personal services and indoor recreational establishments. Quarantine requirements and other out-of-state travel restrictions are being lifted, too.
“The time is right,” Hogan said.
Mixed reaction
Hogan’s action does not preclude counties from keeping their existing health restrictions in place, and the announcement surprised at least three county officials. A spokesperson said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman “found out about the major new policy change at the same time as the rest of Maryland.” They declined further comment.
Governor s Office
STATE TO LAUNCH ONE-STOP VAXX PORTAL: Maryland officials will launch a one-stop, preregistration web portal soon for people looking to book COVID-19 immunization appointments at the state’s mass vaccination clinics. The website would come online in March, the state’s acting Health Secretary Dennis R. Schrader told Maryland state senators at a virtual vaccine oversight meeting Monday, Hallie Miller reports for the Sun.
PUSH TO GET BLACKS, OTHER MINORITIES VACCINATED: Maryland lawmakers continue to express concerns about the low numbers of Blacks and other minorities who are being vaccinated against the coronavirus. The continued concerns come even as the state has opened a mass vaccination site in Prince George’s County, reports Bryan Sears for the Daily Record.
State Roundup: GOP proposes small business bills; lawsuit filed against new digital tax marylandreporter.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from marylandreporter.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Prince George s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, right, and Gov. Larry Hogan talk to patrons of a Giant Pharmacy vaccination site in District Heights. Governor s Office photo by Patrick Seibert
VACCINATION EFFORTS STILL SLOW, SHOW RACIAL DISPARITY: The rate of COVID-19 vaccinations continues at a tedious pace, so slow that one Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health expert said Thursday it’s not yet possible to see a difference in the course of the pandemic, Jayne Miller reports for WBALTV. The vaccination efforts so far show a racial disparity,with just 14.6 of the state’s Black population vaccinated.
The Carroll County Commissioners are questioning the decision to move forward with plans to vaccinate those over 65 and essential workers before they’ve vaccinated all the people over 75, Yasmine Askari reports for the Carroll County Times. About 11,000 Carroll residents are over 75, but only 520 have been vaccinated and another 500 were scheduled to be vaccinated Th
5 million COVID-19 tests completed in Maryland as cases continue to rise fredericknewspost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fredericknewspost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.