Coronavirus restrictions extended in Anne Arundel

County adds 259 new COVID-19 cases, three deaths as infections persist

Tightened coronavirus restrictions will remain in place in Anne Arundel County after a four-week trial period, the result of continually high case rates after the holidays, County Executive Steuart Pittman said Wednesday.

Restaurants, businesses and social clubs remain capped at 25% for indoor service, and religious institutions at 33%. He permitted the extension of outdoor dining by greenlighting the use of “garden domes” or weatherproof enclosures that fit over a single dining table.

Pittman also gave new allowances to ice and roller rinks, permitting them to open at 25% capacity, and sports practices may resume with varying limitations. Outdoor sports activities, fitness centers and indoor sports facilities will all be required to meticulously log anyone who participates or is otherwise present.

The changes come as Anne Arundel County reported 259 new coronavirus cases and three new deaths Wednesday. Maryland reported 2,516 new cases and 37 new deaths.

Mask orders remain in effect, and Pittman has reiterated that any attempt to block entry or prevent inspection is a violation of the new executive order.

“When we announced restrictions in December, we promised to reassess in four weeks. Since that time we have unfortunately seen case rates, hospitalizations, and deaths increase in our county and across the country, and discovered a faster-spreading COVID variant in our community,” Pittman said in a news release. “We must keep these restrictions in place, and each one of us must continue making the personal sacrifices that will

save the lives of our neighbors. At the same time, we are assessing the impacts of restrictions and making adjustments where we can to protect jobs and quality of life without spreading the virus.”

The county case rate fell slightly from 64.9 on Tuesday but remains high at 62.7 cases per 100,000 people on Wednesday. The metric reflects the number of infections per 100,000 people, averaged over seven days, to judge how quickly and widely the virus is spreading in the county.

Since March, Anne Arundel has reported a total of 28,675 infections and 393 deaths. Another 14 residents are believed to have died of the virus but were never tested. Across the state, the total number of confirmed infections is now 314,864, and at least 6,233 Marylanders have died.

More than 10.2% of tests for the virus in Anne Arundel County came back positive. The statewide positivity rate reported Wednesday is 8.53%.

The state reported 1,929 Maryland residents are hospitalized with COVID19, about 23 fewer than were reported on Tuesday.

Data from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health shows the current seven-day average for ICU hospital beds in use is 86.6%. The seven-day average for acute beds in use is about 85.1%. The data reflects hospital occupancy for Anne Arundel Medical Center and the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, but it is a moving metric, as the hospitals can add or reduce capacity as needed.

Statewide, about 81% of inpatient beds are full, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Patients with or suspected to have COVID-19 occupy about 22% of those beds.

The increased cases come after several days of record-breaking case counts, a spike that is likely the result of gatherings over the Christmas and New Year holidays. The rise in cases has prompted the Anne Arundel County Public Library system to further suspend in-person appointments until at least February.

“COVID-19 cases in our county continue to rise at a distressing rate, and we believe it is in the best interest of our staff and customers to continue to limit indoor service for the time being,” said Library CEO Skip Auld. “We will continue to look at the data and rely on advice from public health officials in making decisions on library operations.”

Curbside pickup is still available, despite extended building closures. Residents can also access free black and white printing of up to 10 pages a day for contactless pickup; research help online and over the phone; and virtual events through the library’s social media page. Residents can also access a host of resources including ebooks, audiobooks and databases from their home computers.

Pittman urged residents to make personal sacrifices to slow the spread of the pandemic as county health officials work to inoculate residents.

“This is the last, and most deadly, battle in our war against COVID-19, and the end is near. Our vaccination process is underway and hospitalization projections for the late January peak are nearing a level that is manageable,” Pittman said. “Let’s come together for these final weeks and win this battle decisively.”

The vaccination effort across the state is underway — more than 164,907 residents have received their first shot, and at least 12,704 residents have received their second shot, according to the Maryland Department of Health.

At least 85,683, people in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area, including Anne Arundel County, have received a vaccination.

The Anne Arundel County Council will receive a briefing on the county vaccine effort from Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman at 10 a.m. on Friday.

The briefing will be streamed live on Arundel TV Live, and residents without access to the internet can listen to the meeting by calling 1-301-715-8592 and entering media ID 864 2013 1499, and passcode 72038365.

Zip Codes

Here is an alphabetical breakdown of the number of cases in each ZIP code in Anne Arundel County as of Wednesday. State numbers are in parentheses. ZIP codes that overlap more than one county are in italics.

The state numbers also account for cases at congregate living facilities in those ZIP codes, which the county numbers do not include.

„ Annapolis (21401): 1,509 (2232) „ Annapolis (21403): 1,457 (2026) „ Annapolis (21405): 22 (39) „ Annapolis (21409): 558 (807) „ Annapolis Junction (20701): 1 (21) „ Arnold (21012): 591 (930) „ Brooklyn (21225): 578 (1788)

„ BWI Airport (21240): 0 (N/A) „ Churchton (20733): 53 (91) „ Crofton (21114): 715 (1047) „ Crownsville (21032): 234 (454) „ Curtis Bay (21226): 136 (343) „ Davidsonville (21035): 201 (321) „ Deale (20751): 61 (76)

„ Dunkirk (20754): 14 (252) „ Edgewater (21037): 600 (911)

„ Fort Meade (20755): (246) „ Friendship (20758): 20 (32) „ Galesville (20765): 14 (20) „ Gambrills (21054): 377 (587) „ Gibson Island (21056): 6 (N/A) „ Glen Burnie (21060): 1,572 (2141) „ Glen Burnie (21061): 2,486 (3143) „ Hanover (21076): 709 (1142) „ Harmans (21077): 14 (16) „ Harwood (20776): 89(120) „ Jessup (20794): 137 (1458) „ Laurel (20724): 993 (1194) „ Linthicum Heights (21090): 375 (521) „ Lothian (20711): 254 (343) „ Millersville (21108): 617 (843) „ Naval Academy (21402): (107) „ North Beach (20714): 4 (150) „ Odenton (21113): 1,064 (1451) „ Owings (20736): 0 (277) „ Pasadena (21122): 2,316 (3173)

„ Riva (21140): 67 (123)

„ Severn (21144): 1,367 (1736) „ Severna Park (21146): 797 (1274) „ Shady Side (20764): 83 (142) „ Tracys Landing (20779): 21 (40) „ West River (20778): 49 (67)