Community Connections: Special Edition

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Wednesday, September 23, 2020

COVID-19 Updates: Phase 2 Reopening Updates, Stand Up & Deliver Weekly Distributions, and 2020 Census Deadline

Dear Prince Georgians:

As we continue moving forward with our recovery from COVID-19, we have announced some additional phase 2 openings and updated COVID-19 safety guidelines that are now in effect. These decisions were made under the advice of our health officials, who continue to guide our decision-making as we navigate our recovery. Under our new phase 2 guidelines, the following establishments and facilities are now able to open with safety guidelines in place:

  • Banquet halls, receptions and meeting rooms in hotels, conference centers and similar establishments that offer dining or meeting facilities to the public may open at 50% capacity or a maximum of 150 persons, whichever is lower. No buffets will be allowed, there can be no more than 6 persons per table, and physical distancing must be enforced.
  • Cigar, hookah and vape establishments may open for retail sales only (no smoking on premises) with a maximum of 1 person per 100 square feet of sales space, not to exceed 50% maximum capacity. Physical distancing must be maintained and employees must wear appropriate PPE.
  • Tanning salons may reopen under the same guidelines as other personal services. Customers must be served by appointment only and only 1 customer per 200 square feet of service area, up to a maximum of 50% capacity.
  • Indoor pools, both public and private, may open up to 50% maximum capacity. Physical distancing must be maintained and individuals must wear face coverings when not in the pool.
  • Youth sports defined as “medium risk” may now resume in small groups, no more than nine team members and one coach, with a maximum of 100 persons in any given area. This includes sports such as soccer, baseball, and lacrosse. A full list of medium risk sports as defined by Maryland’s Sports Commission Return to Play Committee can be found online here (page 5).

In addition, some guidelines within the County’s Phase 2 Executive Order have been revised. For childcare facilities, parents are no longer allowed to enter the establishment for drop-off or pick-up. Also, face coverings are required for all persons in any public indoor location over the age of five, previously over the age of nine. Adults accompanying children ages two through four in these establishments should make reasonable efforts to encourage those children to wear face coverings.

Finally, guidelines for large gatherings such as parades, festivals, parties, and family gatherings remain the same, limited to one person/family unit per 200 square feet or a maximum of 50 persons, whichever is lower. For additional information on these updates or the County’s phased reopening, please click here.

I want to remind everyone that this virus is still present in our community. Please remember to continue following COVID-19 safety guidelines to keep yourself and your fellow Prince Georgians safe, including wearing a face mask, practicing physical distancing and washing your hands frequently. These safety practices will help us lower our infection rate and continue moving forward in our recovery.

We also continue to move forward with our efforts to address food insecurity in the County through our Stand Up & Deliver program. This week, we will provide free groceries/prepared meals to go on several days. The dates, times and locations of this week’s Stand Up & Deliver distributions are:

Wednesday, September 23 at 10:00 AM (Groceries)

  • Metropolitan Seventh-Day Adventist Church – 6303-G Riggs Road, Hyattsville, MD

Friday, September 25 at 12:30 PM (Prepared Meals)

  • Beltsville Seventh-Day Adventist Church – 4220 Ammendale Road, Beltsville, MD
  • First Baptist Church of District Heights – 7234 Lansdale Street, District Heights, MD
  • Turner A.M.E. Church – 7201 16th Place, Hyattsville, MD (Prepared Meals & Groceries)

Saturday, September 26 (Groceries)

  • First Baptist Church of Highland Park (11:00 AM) – 6801 Sheriff Road, Landover, MD
  • Ebenezer Church of God (11:30 AM) – 7550 Buchanan Street, Landover Hills, MD

If you’re in need of food assistance, please feel free to stop by one of these locations this week. Additional food distribution locations can be found on our website by clicking here. If you're able to make a contribution to our Stand Up & Deliver program to help us continue addressing food insecurity, please click here to donate.

Finally, I want to provide an update on our 2020 Census efforts. I am happy to say that we have officially exceeded our self-response rate from the 2010 Census, but at only 68.7%, we know we still have much work to do with only seven days to go. We absolutely cannot afford to leave hundreds of millions of dollars on the table like we did in 2010.

That’s why we need your help to make sure that everyone completes the Census, because for every single resident that is not counted, we will lose out on $18,250 in federal funding over the next 10 years. This funding will be critical in supporting our schools, our infrastructure, and our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

We need you to reach out to everybody that you know and remind them to complete their 2020 Census today, because the deadline to respond is September 30. The Census is safe and only takes 10 minutes to complete, either online at my2020Census.gov or by phone at 844-330-2020. Working together, we can ensure that every Prince Georgian is Proud to be Counted, and we can continue making progress in our County.

Yours in service,

Angela Alsobrooks

Prince George’s County Executive


2020 Census

SUD September 23SUD September 25SUD September 26