Maryland’s most populous county allows indoor dining to resume

Maryland’s most populous county will allow indoor dining to resume on Sunday, making it the last of the state’s 23 counties to lift the coronavirus restriction.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) said in an order Tuesday that establishments offering indoor food service will be allowed to “serve food and beverages to customers for consumption in indoor seating areas up to a maximum of 25% of the establishment’s maximum occupancy,” though customers will be required to wear masks while not eating and alcoholic beverage sales will end at 10 p.m.

The decision by Montgomery County, which borders Washington, D.C., follows last month’s resumption of indoor dining in Baltimore and the nation’s capital, both of which moved to curb indoor gatherings in December in the face of the biggest surge yet of new COVID-19 cases.

The rate of new COVID-19 cases in Maryland has decreased following a peak that occurred in early January, and the state is approaching the daily case count levels seen throughout much of last year. More than 7,300 Marylanders have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) warned in the fall that businesses were experiencing “COVID fatigue” that was leading them to drop standards for preventative measures against the virus.

“Too many residents and businesses have COVID fatigue and have begun letting their guard down,” he said in November. “Each of us has to be more cautious, and more vigilant.”

Montgomery County officials moved that same month to tighten restrictions on indoor gatherings as well as implement the county’s outdoor mask mandate.