More Coronavirus Regulations Hit Anne Arundel As Cases Soar

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — With coronavirus cases multiplying at their fastest rate yet, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced a new round of regulations Thursday. He hopes to slow the spread of the disease by adding restrictions for eateries, social gatherings and youth sports.

Starting Nov. 20, restaurants and bars must reduce their operating capacities to 25 percent. They were previously allowed to open at half capacity.

Social gatherings also took a hit. Effective Friday at 5 p.m., indoor gatherings will be limited 10 people. They could previously have up to 25 attendees.

Outdoor gatherings are now capped at 25 visitors. They used to be restricted to 50.

Youth sports at all county facilities will be suspended indefinitely on Monday. Most fall sports were nearing the end of their season. Winter sports had not yet started.

"We’re in bad shape," Pittman said at a press conference announcing the changes. "We’re in bad shape all around the state."

The county executive's moves came two days after Gov. Larry Hogan released a new set of orders to control the state's outbreak. Hogan's mandate returned restaurants and bars to half capacity.

Before that, these businesses were allowed to operate at 75 percent of their normal levels. Anne Arundel County never made it to this point, however, opting to hold their eateries on a tighter leash.

Counties can be more restrictive than the state, but they may never be more lenient.

"They can, and they should take those actions," Hogan said Tuesday. "Local leaders will have our full support."

Pittman said his regulations target restaurants and social gatherings because they are easy transmission spots, contact tracing data suggest. The county executive believes this is because diners don't wear masks at their tables.

Hogan renewed his plea for facial coverings last Thursday, asking Marylanders to "Wear the damn masks." This isn't possible everywhere, Pittman noted.

"We know that you can’t ‘Wear the damn mask’ when you’re eating," he said. "You can’t ‘Wear the damn mask’ when you’re drinking."

Pittman also explained that residents continue to host family gatherings and parties. Contact tracers say many coronavirus patients report going to these social events in the two weeks before falling ill.

The county executive worries social gatherings will worsen the coronavirus situation around the holidays. That's why his order limits family get-togethers, house parties and any function that is not related to patronizing a business or religious facility.

Pittman discouraged large family dinners this holiday season. He instead suggested organizing family video calls to safely connect with relatives.

"We really are in war with this virus," Pittman said. "This is a war where everyone is enlisted. We cannot afford to abandon our posts."

The looming winter months also posed challenges for youth sports, Pittman added.

Though any sport could expose a child to the coronavirus, Pittman is most concerned with basketball. The virus seems to spread easier inside, which could make indoor courts risky venues for athletes and their families.

Pittman has twin sons who play county basketball. Their season is now on pause, but the county executive thinks it's for the best.

"They’re disappointed," Pittman said. "But I know what it was like to be in those small gymnasiums in elementary schools."

Pittman finished his remarks with a reminder that Anne Arundel County has resources to help residents through tough times. The county offers business aid, evection prevention, foreclosure counseling, water bill relief and food assistance.

A full list of coronavirus resources and regulations is available here.

Coronavirus Case Rate

Health officials focus on several metrics to evaluate the coronavirus pandemic. The most frequently-used are the case rate, hospitalizations and percent positivity.

The case rate is a per-capita measure that makes it easy to compare places with different populations. A jurisdiction's case rate is the average number of new coronavirus infections-per-day that it registers over a rolling week per 100,000 people.

As a barometer, Maryland health officials say expanded in-person classes are probably safe when the local case rate dips below 5. Anne Arundel County's case rate has spiked to 23.55. That's the county's highest mark since the pandemic started.

Anne Arundel's case rate hit previous highs of 13.4 on June 3 and 14.26 on Aug. 2. It reached a low of 3.53 on June 26, but it's been an upward climb since then.

Hospitalizations

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations have also pointed upward. They are down from their April 21 high of 172, but hospitalizations have seen a sharp increase in recent weeks.

The disease left 72 people hospitalized in Anne Arundel County on Wednesday. That's the most since June 8.

The county had fewer than 50 hospitalizations between June 14 and Oct. 18. They hit an overall low of 21 on Sept. 21.

Covid ActNow, a coronavirus statistics website, estimates that Anne Arundel County has 50 beds in the intensive care unit. Hospitals need to save some of these beds for emergencies that aren't related to coronavirus.

On Wednesday, Anne Arundel had 18 patients in the ICU with the virus. The county's 22 patients in the ICU on Saturday were the most since June 12.

ICU hospitalizations maxed out at 49 on May 13 and receded to 4 by Aug. 24.

Positivity Rate

The county's positivity rate is also on the upswing. This is the percentage of coronavirus tests that come back positive over a moving seven days. The statistic also measures whether an area has enough tests to identify most of its infections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a positivity rate of less than 5 percent demonstrates that a region has enough testing to control its outbreak. The Maryland Department of Health says hybrid learning should be safe when jurisdictions fall beneath this benchmark.

Anne Arundel County's positivity rate has ascended to 5.77 percent. That's down from its April 16 high of 28.16 percent, but it's up from its Aug. 16 low of 2.29 percent.

The county stayed beneath the 5 percent positivity threshold for 137 days. That streak, which started on June 22, came to an end Saturday.

Total Cases And Deaths

Anne Arundel County's 13,595 coronavirus infections are the 5th most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 274 county residents.

"We don’t hear the names of people who die of COVID as often as we should," Pittman said. "They often die alone in hospitals away from their families."

RELATED:

• 'Dreaded' Fall Coronavirus Surge Is Here; County Shatters Record
• Coronavirus Holiday Season May Be 'A Little Depressing': Pittman
• AACPS Delays Hybrid Classes; Anne Arundel Coronavirus Cases Surge
• Hybrid Classes Threatened By Coronavirus Surge, Officials Worry
• AACPS Adopts Hybrid Model, Eligible Students Can Opt In

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