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.