Friday, May 15, 2020

Maryland "Reopening" Status

Maryland Republican Gov Larry Hogan lifted the state’s stay-at-home order as of 5 PM today. However, the pattern is the same we've seen in other states:
Hogan said he is replacing the order with a “Safer at Home” advisory that will not be enforced by the rule of law. It allows manufacturing, retail, haircuts and worship services to resume with limitations.

But some local officials have said they don’t yet feel comfortable reopening. The governor’s administration has said counties can go at their own pace.

Baltimore City, where the Mount Calvary parish is located, continues on full lockdown. Baltimore County, which is where two other ordinariate communities are located (in Towson and Catonsville)
will allow retail stores to reopen for curbside pickup and delivery only, and the remaining manufacturing firms initially deemed nonessential can resume operations.

But religious institutions may not begin holding worship services and ceremonies indoors, and personal services, including barbershops, nail salons and hair salons, must remain closed.

The St Luke's ordinariate parish in Fort Washington, MD is in Prince George's County, just outside the District of Columbia. Prince George's, Like my old home Montgomery County on the other side of the District, continues on full lockdown. I would estimate that any relaxation of restrictions against religious services there, or in similar very wealthy areas, will not be relaxed until mid to late summer, but with severe limitations on attendance and music.

More rural Maryland counties have generally relaxed their restrictions, though they continue to be far from "normal".