BREAKING: Maryland to begin Phase Three of reopening Friday, Sept 4th

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Governor Larry Hogan announced on Tuesday that Maryland will begin Phase Three of its reopening plan this Friday, September 4th.

This means that beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, indoor theaters where live performances occur or motion pictures are shown may open to the general public at 50% capacity, or 100 people per auditorium, whichever is less. In addition, outdoor venues were live performances occur or motion pictures are shown outdoors may open to the public at 50% capacity, or 250 people. Capacity for retail stores and religious facilities may also increase from 50% to 75%.

The governor says that as with the first two phases, phase three will be implemented in multiple phases with a flexible, community-based approach that empowers individual jurisdictions to make decisions regarding the timing of reopenings.

In addition, Hogan announced that in collaboration with Apple and Google, Maryland will be one of the first states to deploy a new exposure notification tool to help slow the spread of COVID-19. This app is designed to help public health officials more quickly and easily provide notifications for their residents about potential COVID-19 exposure and guide them on recommended actions.

Maryland’s positivity rate has been under 5% for 68 consecutive days, and under 4% for 24 consecutive days. 15 of the state’s 24 jurisdictions have positivity rates below 3.5%. In addition, hospitalizations are down more than 77% from their peak, and we have seen a nearly 30% decline in ICU levels since July 23rd.

Hogan also announced that the State Board of Elections has mailed applications for voting by mail. Marylanders are strongly encouraged to take advantage of voting by mail.

To read the governor’s full order, click here.