Mask Mandate: Anne Arundel Will Decide Whether Orders Continue Or Expire

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The Anne Arundel County Council will vote Friday on whether to extend the indoor mask mandate and the state of emergency. Both orders are currently set to expire Jan. 7 at noon.

The County Council can prolong each emergency action with the support of five of seven members. At least four plan to vote for extensions, County Executive Steuart Pittman said.

"Our County Council will take a vote this Friday that could either help to slow the spread of COVID-19, or challenge the principle that local government should act to protect public health," Pittman said in a press release. "I thought and hoped that we were done with government mandates."

The county executive reissued the face-covering rule and the state of emergency on New Year's Eve. Neither directive limited business capacities or restricted social gatherings.

These orders came as the omicron variant of coronavirus drove a COVID-19 surge and overwhelmed Anne Arundel hospitals. The highly contagious variant has forced the county's two medical centers into their crisis operation plans.

Coronavirus regulations are still a contentious proposal. The Republican State Central Committee of Anne Arundel County advocated against the idea in a Thursday newsletter.

"We cannot go back to the lockdowns of March 2020," the county's GOP said. "If Pittman is granted back his emergency powers that is exactly the road we will be headed down. Two thirds of the county have received a vaccine, there are treatments now that we did not have then, and the current variant has been reported as being milder than ones the past."

How To Share Thoughts

The county executive encouraged residents to share their thoughts before Friday's 8 a.m. emergency meeting. The mask mandate continuation is listed as Bill 6-22. The state of civil emergency legislation is Bill 7-22. The meeting agenda is posted on this webpage.

Locals can submit written testimony here. Constituents can find and email their County Council representative with this search tool.

Community members can sign up to speak during the virtual meeting at this link. This registration is due by 3 p.m. Thursday. Comments will be capped at two minutes per person.

Residents can sign up to watch the livestream on this website anytime before the meeting starts. The meeting is also accessible on zoom.us with the ID code 812 9982 1997 and the password 57027018. Anybody who prefers to listen over the phone can dial any of these numbers:

• +1 (301) 715-8592
• +1 (470) 381-2552
• +1 (470) 250-9358
• +1 (669) 900-6833
• +1 (669) 219-2599
• (888) 475-4499 (Toll-free)
• (833) 548-0276 (Toll-free)

"If you want to stand with our hospital heroes against this damn virus, this week is a good time to speak up," Pittman said.

Battling COVID-19 Statewide

Maryland took similar mask and state-of-emergency actions this week. Gov. Larry Hogan on Monday restored the face-covering requirement in state government buildings. He also declared a 30-day state of emergency on Tuesday. This let him activate the Maryland National Guard to meet the rising demand for coronavirus tests.

The governor did not, however, reinstate a statewide mask mandate or reimplement business capacity restrictions.

Local governments are free to institute more restrictive guidelines, but they may not be more lenient than the state. Other areas that currently have temporary indoor face-covering orders include:

• Baltimore City
• Baltimore County
• Frederick County
• Howard County
• Montgomery County
• Prince George's County

Along with emergency orders, Anne Arundel on Tuesday announced plans to distribute 200,000 rapid at-home COVID-19 test kits. This batch will go to Anne Arundel County Public Schools and equity-driven organizations.

The county previously handed out 100,000 kits at several community centers. Residents claimed all these tests over the holidays. Ever since, locals have battled long lines and limited appointments at testing providers.

Rising Metrics

Maryland's case rate has skyrocketed to 208.59 new infections per day per 100,000 residents. The recent maximum of 213.71 came Monday. That was four times higher than the previous record of 53.39 set on Jan. 12, 2021. The case rate is also well above its recent minimum of 11.16 reported on Nov. 5, 2021 and its overall low of 0.9 recorded on June 25, 2021.

The state's positivity rate is up to 29.98 percent. It was as low as 2.91 percent on Nov. 4, 2021. The all-time minimum of 0.54 percent was set on June 28, 2021. The positivity rate recently eclipsed its March 28, 2020 peak of 26.88 percent. That metric was artificially inflated, however, because tests were scarce early in the pandemic.

This omicron spike prompted an increase in hospitalizations. Maryland's 3,172 patients are a new record compared to the previous peak of 1,952 on Jan. 11, 2021. The hospitalizations are also up from the recent minimum of 490 registered on Nov. 14, 2021 and the record low of 97 posted on July 1, 2021.

The state has reported 11,809 COVID-19 deaths.

Marylanders can get tested by visiting COVIDtest.maryland.gov.

Vaccine Update

A total of 4,278,718 Marylanders are fully vaccinated. The state's population is 6,177,224. About 97.08 percent of Maryland seniors and 92.3 percent of adults have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Maryland has also made some headway on the newest group eligible for the shot. About 34.53 percent of kids aged 5 to 11 have gotten their first injection since they were cleared for immunization in late October 2021.

The state has given 1,670,441 booster shots.

Maryland's infection and vaccine metrics are updated daily at coronavirus.maryland.gov.

Who's Eligible For First Doses

The Pfizer immunization is the only one with full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That clearance is good for residents 16 and up. Pfizer also has emergency-use authorization for anybody aged 5 to 15 for their first two doses

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson inoculations have emergency-use authorization for locals 18 and up.

Emergency-use authorization requires less FDA review than full approval, which is the golden stamp of support from regulators.

Who's Eligible For Boosters

Residents 18 and up who got the Pfizer inoculation can get a booster shot of any kind five months after their initial two doses. Locals 12 to 17 who got the Pfizer must also wait five months, but they are only eligible for the Pfizer booster.

Locals 18 and up must wait six months after their Moderna injections or two months after their Johnson & Johnson vaccines to get a booster shot. Once that time passes, they can get any booster they want.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended getting the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster, not the Johnson & Johnson. Experts still urged locals to get Johnson & Johnson's extra dose if Pfizer and Moderna are not available.

Maryland's booster shot guidance is posted here.

Residents can book a vaccine by visiting covidvax.maryland.gov or calling Maryland's multilingual call center at 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829).

RELATED:

• Glen Burnie Boy, 10, Dies From COVID-19 Complications: GoFundMe
• Anne Arundel To Distribute 200K Rapid At-Home COVID-19 Test Kits
• Hospital Capacity In Anne Arundel County: See Latest Numbers
• COVID State Of Emergency Declared, National Guard Activated As Omicron Floods MD
• MD COVID: Mask Up In State Offices, Get Paid Leave For Booster
• Face Mask Mandate Reinstated By Anne Arundel, Annapolis Leaders
• Anne Arundel Schools Amend COVID Quarantine Rules As CDC Outlined
• Anne Arundel Medical Center To Open Free COVID-19 Testing Site
• COVID-19 Hospitalizations In MD Hit Record High, Along With Cases
• CDC Shortens Isolation, Quarantine Time: What It Means In MD
• Some Surgeries Delayed At Anne Arundel, Prince George's Hospitals

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