Maryland Lifts COVID Limits at Restaurants, Stores; Large Venues to Allow 50% Capacity

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the state will remove capacity restrictions on restaurants and bars and will allow large venues to return to 50% capacity.

The executive order Hogan signed Tuesday removes the quarantine requirements for out-of-state travelers, allows adult day-care centers to reopen — the order will keep the state mask mandate in place.

The order is set to begin Friday at 5 p.m.

Bars and restaurants still can provide service only to seated customers and must ensure physical distancing among patrons.

“With the pace of vaccinations rapidly rising and our health metrics steadily improving, the lifting of these restrictions is a prudent, positive step in the right direction and an important part of our economic recovery,” Hogan said.

The state’s increasing administration of the COVID vaccination and decline in several key COVID-19 data factors prompted Hogan to lift restrictions on restaurants, gyms and other places Tuesday.

Maryland has given out more doses of the latest Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine than any other state, according to the most recent vaccination update from the CDC.

The CDC's Monday report shows Maryland has received 65,100 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — the 15th most among states — but the state has administered more than 19,000 of them, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Maryland has administered 1.6 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in total — the state ranks No. 33 in administered per 100,000 residents, according to the CDC.

The state continues to encourage employers to support telework whenever possible, and masks are still required in all outdoor public areas whenever it is not possible to maintain physical distancing.

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