Governor Hogan Orders Closure of Bars and Restaurants, Announces Unprecedented Public Health Surge

Governor Hogan announced several new orders to help combat the COVID-19 epidemic. These include:

• All bars, restaurants, gyms, spas, and movie theaters must close as of 5:00 p.m. on March 16th. Take-out, drive-through, and delivery services may continue.

• Effective immediately, all gatherings of more than 50 people, including social, community, spiritual, religious, recreational, leisure, and sporting gatherings are prohibited.

• Maryland Department of Health is mandated to increase statewide hospital capacity by an additional 6,000 beds.

• Utilities may not be shut off and evictions may not take place if tenants can show that their inability to pay is due to COVID-19.

The Governor also issued a variety of other orders to increase availability of healthcare providers and facilities.

The complete press release, including a video of the announcements, may be viewed here.