County COVID-19 Updates and Information

OFFICE OF THE PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EXECUTIVE

ANGELA D. ALSOBROOKS

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:

June 11, 2020

For More Information:

Gina Ford       

Communications Director

Office of the County Executive

Prince George’s County

301. 301.952.4670
302. 202.744.3308

erford@co.pg.md.us

COUNTY EXECUTIVE ALSOBROOKS ANNOUNCES MODIFIED PHASE TWO REOPENING FOR PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY ON JUNE 15

LARGO, MD – Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced today that the County will begin a modified phase two reopening on June 15, 2020 at 5:00 PM. This decision was made under the advice of public health officials and the data that the County has been monitoring, including continued downward trends in the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations.

“The past several months have been a trial, but due to the strong efforts of our community to contain the spread of COVID-19, we are now ready to move to the next phase of our incremental reopening of Prince George’s County,” said Alsobrooks. “As we slowly recover from this virus and adjust to our new normal, I want to remind residents that we must all continue to take certain precautions to protect ourselves and others, including wearing face coverings and practicing physical distancing.”

As part of the modified phase two reopening, residents are still encouraged to exercise caution and limit non-essential trips. A number of non-essential businesses and services will be able to reopen with modifications that protect the health and safety of employees and residents, including the following: 

• Retail stores will be able to open in-store, with safeguards and capacity limits. 5 people per 1,000 square feet will be allowed in store, not to exceed 50% percent capacity.
• Barbershops and hair salons will be allowed to open for hair services by appointment only at 50% percent capacity, with the use of PPE. This includes facemasks and gloves for all employees and customers must also wear masks, along with appropriate floor markings to create adequate social distancing. Employees will not be permitted to have clients waiting in a sitting area. All CDC guidelines for cleaning high use surfaces must also be followed.
• All other personal services, which includes nail salons, massages, and spas, can now reopen by appointment only with strong safeguards and physical distancing in place. These businesses must have PPE, including face coverings and gloves, and they may only have 1 customer per 200 sq. ft. of service delivery space. Customers are required to wear face coverings, and high contact surfaces must be cleaned with disinfectant every 2 hours. All employees must receive training on CDC COVID-19 guidance. Digital payment methods should be encouraged as well.

• Restaurants may open with outside seating and they may have indoor dining at 50% percent capacity, as allowed by the State of Maryland. There can be no more than 6 people seated at a table, tables must be at least six feet apart, and no more than 50 people will be allowed at any outdoor restaurant establishment regardless of space. Employees must receive health screenings prior to their shifts, and all CDC guidelines must be adhered to. Additionally, all employees must wear face coverings, and restaurants must have hand sanitizer and appropriate hand washing facilities available.
• Houses of worship can open for gatherings not to exceed 25 percent capacity. Otherwise, they can maintain online services, drive-in services, and outdoor services of 250 people or less, as long as they maintain appropriate social distancing.
• Childcare facilities will be able to open for essential employees and for employees who are returning to work in phase two. In addition to the use of masks and gloves for all employees and having appropriate social distancing and disinfecting in place, they must also have a schedule for staggered drop offs and pickups, conduct daily symptom checks and have a strict dismissal policy in the event of positive cases. In Phase 2, the Maryland State Department of Education will continue to expand the availability of Essential Personnel Child Care programs.
• Outdoor community pools, both public and private, may open. These facilities may only operate at 25% percent capacity and must practice proper social distancing guidelines. Indoor pools will remain closed.
• Car washes may open with automated systems, but drivers and passengers must stay inside of the vehicles at all times. Workers may wipe down the exterior of the car. Self-service car cleaning is allowed. 
• Outdoor youth sports may resume in small groups, no more than 9 children and 1 coach. There can be no more than 50 people in any area.
• Parks are open for personal fitness and fitness classes. This includes all parks, fields, tennis courts, tracks, and golf courses. Low contact sports will be allowed as well.

Some restrictions currently in place will remain. Gyms, fitness centers, and other indoor physical activities will remain closed. Amusement parks, casinos and enclosed shopping malls must remain closed. Gatherings of 10 or more people that are not outlined in the modified phase two reopening above are still prohibited.

For County Government, buildings will remain closed to the public. County Government will return a limited number of employees, increasing some additional services. However, we are encouraging employees to continue teleworking. The County Government is still open and operational, adding a number of virtual services in our agencies to ensure that we can still serve our residents.

The decision to move forward with a modified phase two reopening was made based on the latest COVID-19 data and trends within Prince George’s County. Looking at case numbers, the high for the County was the week of April 26 with 2,370 new cases. The most recent data from last week, starting May 31, shows 1,432 new cases.

The rate of death from COVID-19 is going down. The week of April 26, over 70 residents a week were dying from COVID-19. For the week ending May 30, there were 50 total deaths with an average of 7.1 deaths per day, a slight decrease from the previous week of 7.6. For hospitalizations, on May 9, there were 262 COVID-positive patients in County hospitals. The County has stayed below 150 patients in County hospitals since June 1.

Finally, the County’s positivity rate is at a record low since a high of 43.1% the week of April 19. Last week, the positivity rate was at 14.1%, which was a 5% drop from the previous week of 19.1%. All of this data is public through the County’s COVID-19 dashboard, available online here.

For the latest COVID-19 updates and resources in Prince George’s County, please visit mypgc.us.