Bars, Malls Can Further Reopen In Anne Arundel County

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Anne Arundel County is loosening regulations on its businesses once again. County Executive Steuart Pittman announced the decision in a Thursday afternoon press release.

Effective Friday at 5 p.m., mall food courts may reopen at 50 percent capacity. They were previously only open for carryout service.

"As we continue to fight the spread of this virus, we will also look for targeted actions to reopen safely," Pittman said. "We believe the malls have a good plan in place for the food courts, and we are pleased to extend restaurant dining hours by one hour."

Bars and restaurants that serve alcohol can now keep their indoor operations open until 11 p.m. Though these establishments are allowed to stay open until then, they must stop selling alcohol by 10 p.m. Before Pittman's latest executive order, these establishments had to cease all indoor service at 10 p.m.

The businesses may continue outdoor alcohol service past the 11 p.m. indoor curfew. All restaurants and bars are still capped at 50 percent capacity. They may only serve seated customers.

"Now we need to keep up the effort to keep our case rate low," Pittman said. "Please continue to wear face coverings and practice social distance."

Current Business Regulations

Anne Arundel eateries remain capped at 50 percent capacity, and all customers must be seated. The county's movie theaters and live performance venues reopened on Sept.25.

Indoor venues may open at 50 percent capacity or 100 people-per-auditorium, whichever is less. This limit is broken down by each hall, not by each building. In theory, the whole movie theater could have more than 100 customers inside. Each auditorium, however, may not exceed 100 viewers at a time.

Outdoor locations also face a capacity cap of 50 percent or 100 patrons, whichever is less. Both indoor and outdoor theaters must institute appropriate health and safety protocols, Pittman's order mandates.

Indoor social gatherings are still limited to 25 people, and outdoor congregations still face a 50-person cap. Social gatherings include, but are not limited to, parties, cookouts, parades, festivals, conventions fundraisers and any congregation that is not patronizing a business.

Organized outdoor events, however, are now permitted with a maximum of 100 people, so long as they maintain social distancing and require mask usage. Organized outdoor events differ from social gatherings because they have "designated event organizers to ensure compliance."

Retailers were previously limited in volume by a square footage calculation. Now, they are regulated to half capacity.

Religious facilities maintain their half occupancy requirement.

Anybody who violates these orders is guilty of a misdemeanor. They are eligible to for a $500 fine on their first infraction, a $1,000 citation for their second offense and a $5,000 penalty for their third infringement.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health also has the authority to temporarily close establishments while they correct any offenses. The agency has halted business at eight businesses this month, adding to its total of dozens of shutdowns since July. Heath officials update their list of violators each week.

The Economy

Even with Pittman's announcement, the county will stay put in the second step of healing. Anne Arundel County is one of four Maryland jurisdictions to remain in Stage 2 of coronavirus recovery.

Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County are the only other areas to delay further openings. The remaining 20 counties moved into the third and final phase immediately after Hogan's Sept. 1 decree that states could enter the third phase of reopening.

Pittman said he will not make a sweeping transition into Stage 3, as similar moves swelled cases in the past. He instead suggested that reopenings will come in baby steps.

Gov. Larry Hogan gave counties further liberty to increase business volumes on Sept. 18. Whenever local governments second his move, restaurants can increase their capacities to 75 percent. They were previously limited to half capacity.

When Pittman permits, retail stores and houses of worship can operate at a 75 percent capacity, Hogan says. They are currently capped at half their usual crowd size.

Outdoor venues also have the governor's approval to host crowds of up to 250 people. Jurisdictions must okay these measures before business can further reopen. The county executive has not yet indicated interest in any of these motions, however.

"I want to remind the people of Maryland that moving into stage 3 does not mean that this crisis is behind us," Hogan said in his Sept. 1 announcement that jurisdictions can further reopen. "We must remain vigilant so we can keep Maryland open for business."

Marylanders are steadily returning to work as restrictions ease. Since peaking at 10.1 percent in April, the state's unemployment rate has fallen each month.

Now, 6.9 percent of the labor force is out of a job. In comparison, the unemployment rate was 3.3 percent in February, a month before coronavirus shutdowns began.

While Maryland still has a way to go before it reaches its pre-coronavirus economy, the state is still faring better than most of the country. The national unemployment rate sits at 8.4 percent, which is down from its recent high of 14.7 percent in April.

The overall unemployment stats are updated less frequently at the county level. The latest figures show that 18,641 people, or 5.9 percent of Anne Arundel County workers, were without a job in August. That's down 3.9 percent from the county's pandemic-high, which it registered in April.

The number of new unemployment claims are updated each week, offering a more timely overview of county economies. The freshest report comes from the week ending on Sept. 26.

That week, Anne Arundel County tallied 973 first-time unemployment insurance claims. The county's worst stint came during the week of Aril 4, when it saw 10,573 new claims. In comparison, Anne Arundel counted 146 first-time claims in the week of March 5, which was when Hogan declared a state of emergency in response to the state's coronavirus outbreak.

Maryland has added 183,200 jobs since recovery efforts began, said Kelly Schulz, the secretary for the state Department of Commerce. She attributes the economic revival to the $175 million in grants and loans that her department sent to thousands of local businesses.

Safety remains a top priority for Schulz, who said her team has met with 13 different industries to develop safe reopening guidelines. That partnership involved leaders from the tourism, manufacturing, retail, dining and attractions sectors, among others.

The group assembled a list of safety recommendations specific to each field. The suggestions include staggering employees' shifts to minimize potential coronavirus exposure and placing signs and barriers to aid social distancing. These tips are available in Maryland's Back to Business portal.

"We’ve helped them keep their doors open, pay their bills and keep their employees on their payrolls," Schulz said of Maryland business owners. "We have stayed strong during this pandemic, and we will remain vigilant. We are, in fact, keeping Maryland open for business."

Masks are still required in all public places in Maryland where social distancing is not possible. This includes all outdoor and indoor areas like town centers, shops and restaurants.

Hogan reminded residents to continue their coronavirus prevention measures, even around their relatives. People tend to feel safer around their family, but they must still take precautions, Hogan said.

Coronavirus seems to spread quickly at family events. Since the middle of July, 41 percent of coronavirus patients interviewed by contact tracers reported going to family gatherings.

"You think it’s maybe dangerous to go to a restaurant or a bar or some business," Hogan said. "But in fact, the No. 1 thing reported is family gatherings."

Coronavirus Statistics Update

The most recent data clock Anne Arundel County's positivity rate at 3.26 percent, which is 0.38 percent higher than the statewide clip. The percent positivity has steadily declined since it hit a recent spike of 4.45 percent on Sept. 7. That peak was nearly double the county's pandemic-low of 2.29 percent, which it registered on Aug. 16.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says municipalities should aim to keep their positivity rate below 5 percent. When counties hit this mark, Maryland health leaders say it is likely safe to return to schools for hybrid instruction.

Though Anne Arundel meets the positivity rate recommendation, school officials still started the fall semester with online classes. Anne Arundel County Public Schools previously committed to distance learning for the first two marking periods.

The state has challenged AACPS's decision over the past month. Hogan recently urged schools to start considering a hybrid model. AACPS responded by reaffirming its immediate commitment to remote learning while also speeding up its plans for eventual hybrid classes.

As of now, school is online for most students until at least the start of the third marking period, which begins on Feb. 2, 2021. Some students, like those in special education and English language programs, have assumed a hybrid model. Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman hopes to implement a universal hybrid strategy before then, however.

"My goal first and foremost in all of this is to save lives," Pittman said at the town hall on Sept. 15. "We’re still at-risk and we still have people that are likely to die from this. We want to save as many lives as we can."

Anne Arundel County has been under the 5 percent benchmark since June 22. The local positivity rate topped out at 28.24 percent on April 16.

While the jurisdiction meets the percent positive guideline, it does not meet the state's new infections-per-capita marker. State health officials say municipalities should aim for less than five new coronavirus cases-per-day per 100,000 people. When an area hits this case rate goal, the state says it is probably safe to reopen the district's schools for expanded in-person learning.

Anne Arundel County's case rate has aligned with Maryland's trends until the last week. It hit an initial peak of 13.84 on June 3 before receding to its minimum of 3.53 by June 26.

A second surge spiked Anne Arundel's case rate to its overall peak of 14.26 on Aug. 2. Infections quelled by Aug. 20, dropping the case rate to 6.93.

After a brief downturn, a third wave accelerated the county's infections once more. The case rate hiked to 12.78 by Sept. 18. By Thursday, the case rate fell to 8.83, which is still greater than the requirement to return to expanded in-person instruction.

The county must average less than 28.96 new coronavirus infections-per-day over a rolling week to meet the state's per-capita suggestion. Anne Arundel County has averaged 53.43 new cases-per-day during the last seven days.

Anne Arundel County has the fifth most coronavirus infections in the state, with 10,186. The virus has killed 239 county residents.

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations have seen a downswing recently. The virus had 21 Anne Arundel County residents in the hospital on Sunday. That was the fewest since April 3 when 21 locals were hospitalized. Wednesday saw 27 hospitalizations.

Fewer than 50 coronavirus patients have been in the hospital at a time since June 14. The county's recent high of 49 hospitalizations came on July 24. More than 170 people were hospitalized in Anne Arundel County on the pandemic's April 21 peak.

"We’re all a little bit wary of this pandemic," Pittman said at the town hall. "We all just wish it would go away."

RELATED:

• AACPS Reopening Talks Haven't Been Inclusive, Teachers Union Says
• All County Businesses Can Open, But Eateries Can't Expand Seating
• Movie Theaters Cleared To Reopen As Coronavirus Cases Surge
• Anne Arundel Teases Hybrid School Plan At Coronavirus Town Hall
• Schools, Jobs: How Staying In Stage 2 Affects Anne Arundel County
• Movie Theaters, Concert Venues Can Reopen: Hogan's Plan Explained

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.