Curbside Retail Sales To Be Allowed Wednesday: Baltimore Mayor

BALTIMORE, MD — Baltimore Mayor Jack Young is laying the groundwork for some businesses and parts of the city to reopen. The city remains under a stay-at-home order, he said, with residents only to go out for essential reasons like work or grocery shopping.

Gyms and fitness centers must remain closed, but outside exercise classes may resume starting Wednesday, May 27, Mayor Young said.

"Understanding the importance of staying at home, we are making a few small exceptions because we believe they can be done safely if done properly," Young said at a news conference Tuesday. "Starting tomorrow, we allow for curbside retail. We're implementing this to help our small retail businesses and allow residents to safely obtain goods."

Businesses and districts will be able to apply to have temporary pickup/dropoff zones. Residents can use the zones for picking up their purchases, and they can also be used by delivery drivers, the mayor said.

The Parking Authority of Baltimore City is administering the program and handling applications.

Preparing Restaurants For Outdoor Seating

As it stands, restaurants can be open for curbside pickup, carryout and delivery in Baltimore and across the state.

However, the mayor said he was preparing the city for the potential reopening of outdoor dining, by creating what he called the "Outdoor Seating Relief Program" for Baltimore restaurants.

“The Outdoor Seating Relief Program will help position local restaurants to be able to hit the ground running once Baltimore’s in a position to allow restaurants to offer seating options,” Mayor Young said in a statement.

The program will expedite the approval process for restaurants to get a permit for outdoor seating from a three-month average to less than a week. Fees will be waived or rebated, he said.

Design for Distancing — a partnership among the city of Baltimore, Baltimore Development Corporation, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Neighborhood Design Center — is calling for creatives and organizations to submit tactical drawings showing how they envision using social distancing so Baltimore can reopen.

It will put out a request for proposals May 29, and responses will be due by June 7. The goal is to compile the winning entries into a Design for Distancing guidebook and implement the designs by early July, officials said. Stipends of up to $50,000 are available for these designs. Design-build teams that work with main streets to make the designs a reality will be given $10,000.

For now, the mayor reminded the public that the stay-at-home order remains in effect in the city.

"We need everyone to stay home unless you need to go out for an essential reason," Young said. He said those who need to go out for a reason like work or grocery shopping need to wear a face covering.

Related:

• Stay-At-Home Order Remains In Baltimore: Mayor
• Coronavirus Hospitalizations In MD Increase After 9-Day Decline