Baltimore County To Reopen, Olszewski Lifting Restrictions

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Retailers and hair salons in Baltimore County will be able to reopen for customers at 9 a.m. Friday in accordance with stage one of the governor's roadmap for recovery. County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced Thursday he was signing an executive order lifting the restrictions he placed on Baltimore County last Friday and clarified that groups of more than 10 people remain prohibited in the state.

"You are still safer at home," Olszewski said, speaking outside the historic courthouse in Towson. "This is especially true for our most vulnerable — our seniors and those with underlying health conditions."

Baltimore County has 5,135 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Thursday, with 271 deaths from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, the Maryland Department of Health reports. Officials say they suspect an additional 15 Baltimore County residents died from the virus, but test results are still pending.

According to Olszewski, more than 35,000 people have been tested for the virus in Baltimore County, which he said has the lowest positivity rate among large jurisdictions.

The announcement that Baltimore County would enter stage one of the state's recovery roadmap and ease restrictions on retailers came as the Maryland State Fairgrounds opens coronavirus testing to people without appointments. The Timonium location is the first testing site through the Maryland Department of Health that is offering appointment-free coronavirus testing regardless of symptoms, welcoming its first patients Thursday morning.

"With appointment-free testing starting to become available and with the state's new steps to allow pharmacies to administer tests, we expect to see a significant rise in testing and an associated decline in our positivity rate," the county executive said. "Our goal is to reopen, and to reopen as quickly as possible while also promoting the health and well-being of our residents."

Baltimore County Health Officer Gregory William Branch said the coronavirus testing site at the Maryland State Fairgrounds was testing 1,000 people a day, with results available in 24 to 48 hours.

Increased access to testing was one of the elements Olszewski said last week was lacking when he deemed Baltimore County not ready to enter the state's first phase of reopening and barred retailers from opening to in-person customers.

A week later, he indicated the decision hurt Baltimore County businesses.

"We know that we do not operate in a vacuum," Olszewski said. Neighboring Carroll and Harford counties reopened May 15 to the fullest extent allowed under stage one of the governor's plan.

"We know that our residents are traveling to businesses in other counties, while our establishments remain closed," Olszewski said Thursday. "This not only puts some of our small businesses at a competitive disadvantage, it also has the unfortunate impact of limiting the public health benefits our own restrictions have."

Here is what will change in Baltimore County, effective at 9 a.m. Friday, May 22, with the easing of restrictions:

• Barbershops and hair salons may reopen by appointment only and can operate with a maximum of 10 people inside, including staff.
• Retailers may reopen, limiting people in their stores to 10, including staff.
• All must wear face masks in stores.
• Churches may hold drive-thru services that have more than 10 people but otherwise, religious facilities are closed.

Gatherings of greater than 10 remain prohibited, both indoors and outdoors, he said, except for religious gatherings where people remain in their vehicles.

The county executive encouraged people to take precautions.

"Continue to stay home as much as possible," Olszewski said. The only way to approach fully reopening was to continue social distancing, he said.

A week ago, he said Baltimore County was not prepared to reopen due to lack of access to personal protective equipment (PPE), contact tracing and coronavirus testing.

"In just one week, we have seen significant progress," Olszewski said Thursday.

Staff members were being hired to conduct contact tracing, with onboarding expected in the coming weeks.

Baltimore County is securing 60,000 surgical masks, 40,000 isolation gowns, and a "significant supply of gloves" using its supply chain and purchasing infrastructure to help long-term care facilities that have not been able to get products on their own, officials said this week.

Increased access to PPE, coronavirus testing and contact tracing were resources required to "more safely deal with the challenges we know that are likely to be associated with the reopening process," Olszewski said.

"Each of these developments on their own are important steps," Olszewski said. But he cautioned: "While we are taking additional steps toward reopening today, we are by no means out of the woods."

See Also:

• Baltimore County To Distribute PPE To Nursing Homes, Hot Spots
• Baltimore County Opens Some Businesses, Others Stay Closed
• 3 Places To Test For Coronavirus, No Symptoms Needed: MD Health
• Over 2K Dead In Maryland From Coronavirus: Health Department

Watch the county executive's May 21 news conference announcing the county's approach to the stage one reopening: