Annapolis Encourages Outdoor Dining & Events As COVID-19 Cases Surge
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley is encouraging outdoor dining and events in response to a rising number of COVID-19 infections in Maryland, the city said Thursday.
Buckley signed a local state of emergency intended to help the city combat the spread of COVID-19. It includes plans to reinstate temporary permits for outdoor dining in parking lots, similar to the permits issued in 2020 and 2021 to create so-called "recovery zones."
"We need to pull together as a community," the mayor said in a statement. "Our police, fire, and health care resources are stretched thin and they need the help of residents to help us get to the other side of this wave of infections."
Buckley recommends that families who are planning to host holiday get-togethers gather outdoors. He's also asking residents to wear masks in public, get tested and vaccinated and practice social distancing.
He's also calling for restaurants to bring back outdoor dining to keep residents safe.