Golf to start at Compass Pointe; county beaches to remain closed State inches toward reopening
Gov. Larry Hogan gave Marylanders permission to enjoy outdoor activities including golf, tennis, and horseback riding again, and to visit parks and beaches ahead of Mother’s Day weekend — a tentative first step toward ending severe restrictions in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
In Anne Arundel County, officials say they will follow most of this guidance, but beaches will remain closed.
Hogan also said hospitals and licensed health care professionals can resume elective and nonemergency procedures. He made his announcement Wednesday in the same news briefing in which Karen Salmon, the state superintendent of schools, announced that Maryland’s public school students will not return to classrooms for the rest of the academic year.
Officials at every level are urging residents to abide by public health guidance whenever they leave their homes.
The governor said he may soon be ready to lift the stay-at-home order across the state as the rate of hospitalizations and the number of patients in intensive care have steadily decreased. The governor said he needed “several more days of good metrics” to launch the first stage of his three-stage recovery plan for the state.
“I realize that these are only small steps and that they may be of little comfort to those who are out of work and who are struggling financially,” Hogan said. “But it is thanks to all of you and your incredible sacrifices that we are making great progress.”
Boaters were among those cheering the changes loudest.
Andy Anderson, the owner and operator of Finest Kind Yacht Management, a company that performs all the services necessary to commission a boat, has questioned the state’s ban on recreational boating ever since it was implemented.
The Edgewater resident’s wish was granted Wednesday afternoon when Hogan announced that boating and other outdoor recreational activities such as tennis and golf would now be allowed.
“I’m relieved. It’s nice the governor and his staff are starting to listen to the citizens,” Anderson said. “What’s the difference between going to Sam’s Club with your wife or going out on a boat in the open air with the same person?”
Hogan announced the new permissions as cases in Maryland soared past 28,000, with at least 1,338 residents killed by the virus. Anne Arundel County now has 2,085 confirmed cases, with 99 deaths. Another nine, officials suspect died from the virus but a lab test was never performed.
In Anne Arundel County, parks have remained open and free all along, but officials spent Wednesday afternoon working to ensure that all the changes were advisable by Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, and feasible given the short timeframe.
“I think, like all of us, (the County Executive) is pleased that we’re starting to see some good news come out of this in terms of gradual and responsible loosening of some of the restrictions,” said Chris Trumbauer, Pittman’s senior adviser. The priority of county
government is keeping residents safe, he said.
Though more activities are being permitted, picnics are still prohibited across the state.
Compass Pointe Golf Courses will open at noon on Thursday, and golf carts won’t be available until Friday, Trumbauer said. The county’s other golf course, Eisenhower Golf Course in Crownsville, will remain closed as it was not slated to open until the summer.
Horseback riding will be permitted if riders are following social distancing guidelines, tennis will be allowed in all applicable county parks, but all other sports fields and courts remain closed. Though Hogan’s order gave local jurisdictions the authority to open playgrounds and dog parks, Trumbauer said it was against the advice of the health officer, so they will remain closed.
Under Kalyanaraman’s guidance, county beaches will remain closed, despite Hogan’s order. Trumbauer said this decision was made based on guidance from Kalyanaraman, and staff from the Department of Recreation and Parks who were unsure of how they would enforce social distancing guidelines.
In Annapolis, the Recreation and Parks Department will begin reopening parks starting Thursday morning, city spokeswoman Mitchelle Stephenson said.
The Annapolis City Council’s plan to extend the city’s state of emergency for another 30 days on Monday will still occur, she said.
City tennis courts are under construction and will remain closed, and playgrounds will remain closed under guidance from Anne Arundel’s health officer.
“We will be asking folks to continue practicing physical distancing, following all the general guidelines, wearing a mask, all of that.”