Skip to site navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer content Skip to Site Search page Skip to People Search page

Alerts and Updates

Maryland Governor Announces State Will Complete Stage One of Reopening Plan, Subject to Local Orders

May 28, 2020

Maryland Governor Announces State Will Complete Stage One of Reopening Plan, Subject to Local Orders

May 28, 2020

Read below

Local governments maintain the authority to retain stricter limitations than those in place statewide.

On May 27, 2020, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that effective May 29, 2020, at 5:00 p.m., the state would move forward with the completion of stage one of its three-stage recovery plan. Maryland began stage one of the recovery plan two weeks ago, when Governor Hogan lifted the stay-at-home order that had been in place since March 30, 2020, and permitted certain businesses to reopen with limitations.

Local governments maintain the authority to retain stricter limitations than those in place statewide. Marylanders should therefore consult county-specific resources for continued updates on this evolving situation.

Restaurants May Reopen for Outdoor Dining and Other Outdoor Activities May Resume

Effective May 29, 2020, at 5:00 p.m., the following will be permitted in Maryland, subject to limitations and local orders:

  • Restaurants as well as social organizations may reopen for outdoor dining with limitations and within CDC guidelines, including permitting no more than six people to a table, distancing patrons and staff, using disposable menus or sanitizing reusable menus between uses, sanitizing tables and chairs between patrons, training employees in guidelines and screening staff temperature before each shift;
  • Outdoor youth sports may resume with limitations, including limiting contact between players, holding outdoor practices only, limiting group sizes and limiting touching of shared equipment;
  • Youth day camps may resume with limitations, including limiting capacity to no more than 10 people to a group, holding daily COVID-19 symptom checks for staff and campers, requiring masks and not permitting any out-of-state campers;
  • Outdoor pools may reopen with limitations, including a 25 percent capacity limitation, physical distancing, sanitation measures, requiring patrons to sign in and out, and posting signage warning that anyone who is sick may not enter; and
  • Drive-in movie theaters may reopen.

Local leaders are encouraged to be creative in how they can help support businesses, and Governor Hogan supports the idea of closing streets and allowing restaurants to expand into parking lots to increase the capacity for safe outdoor dining.

Marylanders, and particularly those who are vulnerable or are in contact with anyone who is vulnerable, should continue to follow CDC guidelines. Marylanders who can work from home should continue to do so. All Marylanders should continue practicing physical distancing, wearing face masks at indoor public places and avoiding public transportation unless absolutely necessary.

Maryland Could Enter Stage Two Next Week

Maryland’s coronavirus recovery team will continue to watch the data closely and if the encouraging trends the state is seeing continue into next week, the state would then enter stage two of the recovery plan, meaning that additional nonessential businesses could begin reopening.

About Duane Morris

Duane Morris has created a COVID-19 Strategy Team to help organizations plan, respond to and address this fast-moving situation. Prior Alerts on the topic are available on the team’s webpage.

For More Information

If you have any questions about this Alert, please contact Robert B. Hopkins, Carla N. Murphy, Allison M. Midei, any of the attorneys in our Baltimore office, any member of the COVID-19 Strategy Team or the attorney in the firm with whom you are regularly in contact.

Disclaimer: This Alert has been prepared and published for informational purposes only and is not offered, nor should be construed, as legal advice. For more information, please see the firm's full disclaimer.