The county will ease the COVID-19 emergency restrictions imposed earlier this year beginning on Monday, June 1, County Executive Marc Elrich announced.
In a press conference marred by boos, insults and profanities from the audience, Elrich said the gradual Phase 1 reopening of businesses and activities, under specific guidelines, would be in effect as of 6 a.m. Monday. They include:
- Retail operations may open for curbside delivery only while maintaining social distancing
- Restaurants and bars will be allowed to serve customers at outdoor seating in small groups at least six feet apart (no buffets allowed)
- Childcare providers may reopen to provide childcare for the dependents of essential employees and Phase I opening employees
- Hair salons and barbershops may open for hair only appointments with restrictions on the number of customers in a shop at any one time
- Car washes may open for exterior cleaning only
- Manufacturing operations may fully reopen with precautions under guidelines
- Churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other similar religious facilities may conduct “drive-in” services, and
- Outdoor day camps and youth sports may operate under state Department of Health guidelines.
“This is an important first step,” said Elrich in a press release. “But it is a first step, and restrictions are still in place. I urge you to follow the guidelines so that we can keep moving forward and not have spikes in the number of cases.”
The full text of Executive Order No. 070-20 will be considered by the County Council. The council, sitting as the Board of Health, plans to introduce, hold a public hearing and vote on a resolution approving the order at 1 p.m. today.
In the meantime the following facilities will remain closed:
- Swimming pools
- Senior and fitness centers
- Movie theaters
- Shopping malls, and
- Nail salons.
In addition, the county is asking residents to continue taking precautions such as wearing masks in public indoor facilities, maintaining social distancing, and limiting gatherings to 10 people or fewer.
Image from Wikimedia Commons licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.