ROCKVILLE, Md. — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that the state could move to the final stage of its reopening plan by Friday at 5 p.m. However, the governor left the final decision up to individual counties.
Prince George's County, which according to the health data has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Maryland, has not announced its reopening plan. But Montgomery County - with the second-highest total - has officially said it will not begin phase 3 Friday.
County Executive Marc Elrich was fired up at a news conference Wednesday saying he had no idea the governor was moving to Phase 3. He said elected leaders simply cannot rely on numbers, but must consider the big picture and future exposure to the virus.
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Elrich said cases in his county have improved because of their strict reopening policies, and expressed concern about other areas opening too soon.
“This is not party time," he said. "We don't exist in a vacuum. There's no wall around the county, no wall around the DC Metro area. Our people travel across borders. So unfortunately, unlike Vegas, what happens someplace else around here doesn't stay someplace else around here - you bring it home."
Under Maryland’s phase 3 reopening, movie theaters and concert venues can open at 50% capacity (no more than 100 people at indoor locations and 250 outdoors), while retailers and religious leaders can now increase capacity their from 50% to 75%.
One county that is moving forward with that reopening plan is Charles County. However, the school board did not take Gov. Hogan's advice to reopen schools for in-person learning. A schools’ spokesperson said their classes will remain virtual with a slow phased-in approach to in-person instruction.