On Friday afternoon, County Executive Steuart Pittman announced new business reopening guidelines which will take effect on June 1. These include:
- Expanding non-essential retail businesses (permitting one person per 150 square feet of store space)
- Expanding salons and barber shop operations to one person per 100 square feet
The City of Annapolis will use the same guidelines for continuing the Phase One reopening sequence. Patrons must observe physical distancing and wear a face covering in all retail establishments.
“We are balancing the needs of businesses and our economy in getting people back to work. At the same time, residents are counting on us to maintain public health and safety,” said Mayor Gavin Buckley. “We are doing better than other counties in balancing those competing objectives and I applaud County Executive Pittman for his approach.”
The state of Maryland was shut down on March 16 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, Governor Larry Hogan issued a Stay Home Order and closed all non-essential businesses.
On May 13, Governor Hogan announced a partial reopening of some non-essential businesses, but left many of the details up to localities. Anne Arundel County issued stricter guidance than some, permitting only curbside carryout from non-essential retail and only permitting one person at a time in hair salons and barber shops.
The new guidelines are based on data objectives including acute care and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) availability at local hospitals, sustained 14-day decreases in new cases per day, testing, supplies of PPE, contact tracing and health equity outcomes.
