Police, Anne Arundel delegate at odds over business closure
After police told a go-kart track in Gambrills it had to close on Monday because of coronavirus regulations and the business complied, an Anne Arundel County delegate told the owner to flout law enforcement and the governor’s executive order.
Anne Arundel County police officers were patrolling along Crain Highway on Memorial Day when they noticed Crofton Go-Kart Raceway was open, despite such businesses having not yet been tapped for reopening by Gov. Larry Hogan or County Executive Steuart Pittman, said Sgt. Jacklyn Davis, police spokeswoman.
An officer and a supervising sergeant talked to the business and told them to close. The business complied right away, Davis said. “There’s nothing in the notes that indicates any resistance at all.”
Del. Sid Saab, R-Crownsville, aired his frustrations of hearing about the raceway being asked to comply with regulations instituted by Hogan to curb COVID-19 in a Facebook post Monday night. As of Thursday morning, the virus had infected almost 50,000 Marylanders and taken the lives of at least 2,300 more. After tailing off for much of May, hospitalizations began climbing again Tuesday.
“I told the business owner that he should ignore them and stay open,” Saab wrote. “This is his private property, he pays taxes and he’s a job creator.”
“I don’t believe that the interpretation of the executive order is remotely fair to all businesses,” Saab said in a phone interview. “Because how can you rent a golf cart but you can’t rent a go-kart? It’s the same exact thing.”
Golf courses were allowed to open under the first wave of reopening ordered by Hogan. The largest outdoor track in Maryland is temporarily closed, according to its website.
A phone call to the business went directly to a voicemail message which explained the track was temporarily closed because of Hogan’s order: “We look forward to reopening soon.” A message requesting comment was not immediately returned.
Saab wrote the business was following guidance of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, including main
taining social distancing and “thoroughly cleaning every (cart) after each use.” He called the orders of the Republican governor and Democratic county executive “irrational” and accused them of “continuing to pick winners and losers.”
The delegate said the business closed out of fear of being criminally cited. Indeed, violating the governor’s orders is punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 or a jail sentence not to exceed one year, or both. But county police have been approaching enforcement with an education-first approach, and have despite hundreds of calls
for potential violations not yet charged a single person exclusively for violating the executive orders.
“I am asking again that Gov. Larry Hogan and County Executive Steuart Pittman lift all restrictions immediately on all businesses that can follow the same guideline like Target, Home Depot and Walmart etc.,” Saab wrote.
Saab’s comments preceded by about 48 hours Hogan’s announcing that he would further ease coronavirus-related restrictions, while still allowing county leaders the authority to proceed more slowly if they saw fit. Pittman said he would consult with public health officials before deciding if Anne Arundel would follow the same timeline outlined by Hogan Wednesday.
The county executive is expected to announce Thursday further reopening measures in the county.
“Things are looking better in the county,” he said on a video call with reporters, touting increased testing capacity. “This added testing capacity has allowed us to isolate the virus.”
Beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, Hogan’s latest order allows for restaurants and social organizations to begin to offer outdoor dining, green lights outdoor pools, youth day camps and low contact outdoor youth sports practices. His order required all businesses that would open further to follow a range of social distancing and safety measures. The latest loosening of restrictions did not seem to apply to race tracks.
When Hogan announced the first wave of reopening, dubbed Phase 1, earlier this month, Pittman said the county would open more slowly, along with neighboring populous counties that have been hard hit by the coronavirus. Some who disagreed with Pittman’s stance posted veiled threats in a closed Facebook group, comments that have since been denounced by organizers and politicians who disagree with him.
“Some people believe that we’re moving too slowly. Some people believe that we’re moving too quickly,” Hogan said at a press conference Wednesday. “We have a plan, which was put together with a coronavirus recovery team made up of some of the smartest doctors and scientists we have in the state and America, and they believe that we are going about it the right way.”