Retail, Salons, Barbershops Can Reopen Friday In Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Additional restrictions will be lifted for retail stores, barbers, hair salons and religious institutions in Howard County effective Friday at 7 a.m. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball's executive order allows retail stores, barbershops and hair salons to operate at 50 percent maximum capacity with additional guidelines applying specifically to each industry. Religious institutions and gatherings will be permitted to hold outdoor services up to 250 people. Comprehensive guidelines for each industry are detailed in the executive order and businesses can access additional interpretative guidance.

“On May 13 when Gov. Hogan announced that many decisions regarding reopening would be delegated to local jurisdictions, I made the difficult decision to keep certain restrictions in Howard County. At the time, our data showed we weren’t ready to go as far as the governor’s order,” said Ball. “After the governor’s announcement we released HoCo RISE, our framework outlining the metrics we track to make decisions on how Howard County will reopen innovatively, safely, and effectively. Since announcing HoCo RISE, our metrics are showing some promising trends and we’ve made progress on the building blocks for reopening, including a lower ICU and ventilator utilization rate, a lower daily average of new cases, and an increase in our contact tracing operation.”

After spiking to 78.8 percent on May 15, the ICU utilization rate at Howard County General Hospital has fallen or stayed the same for seven out of 14 days and as of May 23 was at its lowest level since April 1. The ventilator utilization rate for the same time period is 18.6 percent. The average daily case count, which is expected to rise as testing becomes more available, is down to an average of 27 cases per day after surging to an average of 33 cases for the two-week period that started on April 26, Ball shared. Howard County also has increased the number of contact tracers from two people when the pandemic started to 35.

“While we are pleased with the progress we are seeing, we must not become complacent as we enter new phases of reopening. As we begin to lift restrictions, we will continue to keep a close eye on our data, and ease or tighten restrictions as needed," Ball said.

Mike Hinson, director of the office of emergency management, said that Howard County has been working with partners in the community, neighboring jurisdictions and at the state level to flatten the curve of the coronavirus.

“Between county efforts and the assistance of these partners, we have procured nearly half a million pieces of personal protective equipment and supplies. We also have over a million more pieces on order. Additionally, we continue to monitor emerging solutions and utilize new technologies as they become available in our ongoing fight against COVID-19," he said.

Dr. Maura Rossman, Howard County Health Officer, emphasized that it "is essential that we all continue social distancing and other efforts, so we can gradually resume our new normal activities.”

Beginning at 7 a.m. on Friday, May 29:

• Retailers in Howard County may open at 50 percent of maximum occupancy.
  • Retailers are still encouraged to use curbside pick-up whenever possible.
• Barbers and hair salons may open at 50 percent of maximum occupancy including staff.
  • Businesses must continue to operate by appointment only.
  • Staff and clients must wear masks.
• Religious institutions may hold outdoor services of up to 250 people, as long as all participants can maintain appropriate physical distancing of 6 feet.
  • Indoor services are still limited to a maximum of 10 people.

Beginning Friday at 5 p.m., outdoor pools, outdoor youth camps and outdoor youth sports can reopen with physical distancing and sanitation measures in place. In addition, Howard County Recreation and Parks plans to resume outdoor youth camps, programs and classes beginning June 29. Drive-in movie theaters may also open in accordance with the governor’s order. Also open are bocce courts, tennis courts, pickleball courts, handball courts, Worthington Dog Park, disc golf course and The Timbers of Troy Golf Course.

The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services has provided guidelines for businesses to determine their maximum occupancy to assist during the pandemic. All retail stores must post signage at or near the front door reminding customers to wear masks and maintain physical distancing. Howard County will provide signs digitally that business owners can print and display in their businesses.

“Howard County Fire and Rescue has remained focused on providing exemplary service during this pandemic,” said Howard County Fire and Rescue Services Chief William Anuszewski. “The actions from our resilient community and the direction from our County Administration has successfully flatted the curve, which is reflected through our response data. Our firefighters and paramedics continue to see a decrease in response, emergency care, and transport of potential COVID-19 patients.”