Baltimore mayor issues new order to keep more strict COVID measures,

deviating from state and neighbors’ plans.

'Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on Friday enacted a new mandate to keep in place the city’s existing COVID-19 restrictions — deviating from Gov. Larry Hogan’s directive that lifted most capacity restrictions aimed at curbing the virus’ spread, a mandate adopted by all of the counties surrounding the city.

Restaurants and bars can continue to seat patrons at 50% capacity outdoors and 25% indoors, per Scott’s executive order, which went into effect Friday morning. Meanwhile, retailers, fitness centers, libraries, museums, casinos, barber shops and salons, as well as theaters and outdoor entertainment venues, can entertain a quarter of their maximum volume of customers.

Flanked by Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa and other public health experts at a news conference near City Hall, Scott said his administration would continue to follow the science and not change course because of Hogan’s order or the decisions of neighboring county leaders. He quoted President Joe Biden’s primetime address Thursday, saying “this fight is far from over.”

Scott acknowledged the disease’s impact on Baltimore in the new year: 9,371 coronavirus cases and 172 deaths. In all, COVID-19 infected 41,262 residents and killed 810 more in the city since officials began to track the disease last March. While Scott was encouraged by the recent metrics, he maintained the picture was hardly rosy.'>>>

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