(BALTIMORE, MD) On Wednesday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced that outdoor and indoor dining can resume at 6 a.m. Friday, January 22.
Outdoor dining will be allowed at 50% capacity. Indoor dining will be limited to 25% capacity. Both outdoor and indoor dining will be limited to a 1-hour max time limit and restaurants must maintain a sign-in/sign-out sheet for both patrons and staff.
The mayor says he is modifying the city’s COVID-19 mandates in accordance with sustained improvements in key public health indicators.
“I have been very encouraged by our numbers since the start of the new year,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Almost three weeks into the month and our new cases and hospital utilization are down. Currently, Baltimore City has the lowest positivity rate in the State. This is a direct result of the restrictions I implemented shortly after being sworn into office and the sacrifices we have collectively made over the past six weeks. After consulting our public health experts, I have made the decision to ease some restrictions on occupancy, but we need residents to stay vigilant. Everyone must continue to wear face coverings, practice physical distancing, and avoid large gatherings if we want to build on these gains and keep our community safe.”
Mayor Scott says, because restaurants and their employees have suffered tremendously throughout the pandemic, his administration will maintain an open line of communication with them as officials continue to discuss the continuing economic impacts of COVID-19 on their staff and businesses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW6iUq91MtQ
“With the latest data, and with our hospitalizations, fatalities, and case count beginning to trend downwards, we are cautiously optimistic that we may have reached a turning point,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa. “However, the re-opening of outdoor dining and limited indoor dining comes with the reminder that these are still locations where masking—one of the best ways to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus—cannot be maintained at all times. I urge residents to continue to be cautious, and to provide up to date contact information to the restaurant who will now be required to have sign in sheets, so that our contact tracers can quickly notify you if an outbreak occurred.”
The Baltimore Development Corporation has made $15 million available to local businesses. The mayor’s administration is working with the Baltimore Civic Fund to reimburse restaurants for City and State fees incurred associated with the public health mandates.
Additionally, other new mandates set to take effect at 6 a.m. Friday include:
- Bars - Bars without food licenses will also be allowed to reopen at 50% max outdoor capacity and 25% max indoor occupancy.
- A 1-hour max time limit and sign-in/sign-out for patrons and staff are required.
- This also includes breweries.
- Fitness - Gym classes are permitted to resume, socially distanced, with masks required, and limited to 10 persons.
- Indoor Recreation Establishments - All indoor recreation sites with the exception of adult entertainment and hookah & cigar lounges will be permitted to reopen at 25% max occupancy.
- Hookah & cigar lounges are allowed to keep their retail sales open at 25% max occupancy, but must remain closed to onsite consumption.
- Live Performances - Streaming of live performances will be permitted.
