County makes masks mandatory in public
‘Keep Anne Arundel Open’ plan goes beyond state rules
Anne Arundel County residents will be required to wear face masks in public buildings and outside in public spaces where social distancing isn’t possible, the county executive announced Thursday.
As part of a new plan, dubbed “Keep Anne Arundel Open,” County Executive Steuart Pittman and Health Officer Nilesh Kalyanaraman laid out several initiatives aimed at tackling two interlinked epidemics — poverty and COVID-19. Masks are a critical component to that effort, officials said.
Masks, and the agreement among residents to wear them around other people, is the most effective tool public health workers have in breaking the cycle of transmission and shielding the county from a second surge in coronavirus cases, Kalyanaraman said.
Kalyanaraman, citing countries and states that have universal masking practices and low transmission rates, said Anne Arundel County will mandate wearing masks inside public buildings and outdoor public spaces starting at 5 p.m. Friday. Residents in a public area where six-feet distancing from people outside their household isn’t feasible will have to wear a mask, according to the public health order.
To enforce the order health workers will issue warnings and pass out masks to those who need one. Masks must be worn over the nose and mouth to be effective.
“This will protect people when they’re in shopping centers, downtown areas, outdoor parties and other locations where people are coming in frequent contact with others,” Kalyanaraman said.
The change comes as governors of Sun Belt states are issuing similar orders after experiencing an unsettling resurgence in coronavirus cases. Anne Arundel County’s public safety order goes beyond Gov. Larry Hogan’s requirement, issued in April, that face masks be worn inside retail and grocery stores. Marylanders must also wear
masks on public transportation.
In announcing the new public health measure, Pittman also issued a warning to bar-goers and other patrons who don’t maintain social distancing and or masking requirements. Health inspectors are partnering with city and county liquor boards and will start to monitor businesses during evening hours, when violations occur more often.
“We cannot allow the actions of a handful of irresponsible business owners to cause an industry-wide shutdown,” Pittman said.
Violations are occurring at bars and restaurants because people pack together indoors without masks, official say, posing a higher risk of becoming a potential cluster or outbreak.
Six states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan and Texas — were focused to reimpose restrictions on businesses after coronavirus cases spiked at alarming rates. Several other states have paused their reopening efforts.
County health data has yet to document an outbreak connected to a reopened businesses or the large Black Lives Matter protests that occurred across the county in June.
But health workers saw a slight uptick in cases in Anne Arundel County this week as states and counties across United States are setting record highs.
Anne Arundel County is averaging about 20 to 30 coronavirus cases a day and reported a 3.47% rate of positive cases Thursday, one of the lowest since the state began collecting coronavirus pandemic data in March.
The public health order was unveiled on a day when Maryland reported 14 straight days of a seven-day average rate of positive tests below 5%, matching the World Health Organization recommendation before governments begin easing virus-related restrictions. The mandate will help the county control the pandemic moving forward, official said.
County health workers are also working toward testing 2% of the population each week, about 11,600 people. This metric helps public health officials contain potential outbreaks as they emerge and guide health decisions based on the rate of current cases. The health department plans to conduct half the testing while hospitals, primary care providers, and pharmacies contribute the other half.
The county is currently testing 1% of the population per week.
As part of the “Keep Anne Arundel Open” initiative, county officials unveiled sprawling plans, funded by the federal CARES Act, to provide cash assistance to low-income residents who don’t qualify for unemployment, programs to connect youth and formerly incarcerated individuals with long-term job opportunities and free occupational training programs.