Annapolis, MD – On Monday, January 31, the Anne Arundel County Public Safety Order requiring masking will expire as scheduled. The Order was put into place on January 7, 2022 as a continuation of the County Executive Order on December 31, 2021 to respond to the surge in COVID cases due to Omicron which caused an unprecedented burden on our hospitals. Since the implementation of the Public Safety Order, case rates and hospitalizations have peaked and they are now coming down. Combined COVID inpatients between the hospitals is now less than 100, the first time it’s been below this level since December 19, 2021.
“When Dr. Kalyanaraman issued the public safety order earlier this month, he did so because it was the right thing to do – to protect our hospitals, to keep our businesses and schools open, and to save lives,” County Executive Steuart Pittman said. “I want to thank all of our residents who continue to do the right thing by getting vaccinated, by getting boosted, by wearing masks when asked to do so. You are doing everything you can to help bring an end to this pandemic, so thank you.”
“Through consistent prevention and timely, and time-limited, responses to surges, we can continue to protect our residents from COVID while keeping our schools, businesses, and hospitals open and healthy,” Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said.
The Department of Health will continue to recommend masking and continue with prevention efforts including vaccination, masking and testing, while we advance treatment efforts, namely the newly available oral medications for COVID.
For more information on face masks, visit www.aahealth.org/facemasks.
