Baltimore Restricts Indoor Dining As Virus Spreads

BALTIMORE, MD — Baltimore officials have issued two new orders aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. At a news conference Wednesday morning, the city's mayor and health commissioner announced changes around dining and face coverings that will take effect Friday.

"After careful review," Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young said, "I will be signing an executive order that will halt indoor dining at restaurants and bars."

Outdoor dining will be allowed, and carryout and delivery service will also be permitted. Diners at restaurants can remove their face coverings while they are seated outside, Young said.

Prohibiting indoor dining comes after officials noticed several causes for concern about the spread of the virus, according to Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa, who is ordering people in Baltimore to wear face coverings when out in public.

Both orders — prohibiting indoor dining and requiring face coverings in public — will take effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 24.

"These decisions are rooted in current data and trends," Dzirasa said Wednesday.

Here are the "problematic" trends that she said prompted the restrictions:

• Coronavirus cases have doubled in the last few weeks in Baltimore. They are increasing at a rate higher than expected from the increase in tests; the city is currently performing 2,000 tests a day. The city was averaging 63.4 cases a day before July 4, Dzirasa said, and it was seeing 134 cases a day as of July 19. "This indicates a doubling in just a month's time," Dzirasa said.
• There is a "dramatic rise" in infections among those 20 to 40 years old, she said. In the past week, she said the median age of a coronavirus patient in the city dropped to 35 years old. In the early days of the pandemic, the virus was primarily spreading among older adults, those in congregate living situations and those with underlying conditions, she added.
• The positivity rate is "disproportionately high" in southeast Baltimore. In particular, Dzirasa said the 21224 ZIP code — which includes Canton, Highlandtown and Patterson Park — has seen a positivity rate as high as 22 percent. She compared that with Baltimore's July 4 positivity rate of 5.3 percent. From July 5 to July 12, it rose to 6.3 percent.

City officials also looked at the number of restaurants with indoor dining that have had to temporarily cease operations because of positive coronavirus test results.

"All the data trends combined raises our level of concern and requires a reevaluation of the opening," Dzirasa said.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we are moving to outdoor dining only for Baltimore City," Dzirasa said. She said research showed that "tight enclosed spaces with poor ventilation may allow the coronavirus to stay suspended in the air for hours at a time."

The health commissioner emphasized that keeping distance from others was the most effective way to prevent the transmission of the virus.

"The decision to suspend indoor dining at bars and restaurants was not one that was made lightly," Dzirasa said.

Also to slow the spread of the virus, she said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised the use of face coverings.

"Baltimore, if you're outside your house, please wear a face covering," Dzirasa said. For those concerned about the heat and sweating, she advised bringing several face coverings.

Restrictions will remain in place until trends shift as far as coronavirus case counts, deaths, ICU and acute care hospital bed utilization and positivity rates, according to the mayor.

Watch the news conference about indoor dining restrictions on Charm TV.

See Also:

• Marylanders Now Have To Quarantine When Visiting CT, NJ, NY
• MD Coronavirus Deaths, Hospitalizations Up: Hogan 'Watching'
• Mask Mandate To Take Effect In Baltimore County This Week