Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman released the following statement, in response to Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge William C. Mulford III’s granting of a temporary restraining order prohibiting the in-person dining restrictions of Executive Order #39 from going into effect at 5 p.m. on Dec. 16.
A hearing on the Motion for Preliminary Injunction is scheduled for Dec. 28 at 9:00 a.m. Until a decision is made in that hearing, the county’s restaurant restrictions revert to those found in Executive Order #38, which limits indoor dining capacity to 25 percent of maximum capacity. All other provisions of Executive Order #39 will take effect at 5 p.m. on Dec. 16, as planned.
Statement from Pittman:
‘We are disappointed in Judge Mulford’s ruling granting a temporary restraining order of our COVID restrictions on in-person dining. We believe the science from public health experts is clear and it shows that taking actions to limit situations where people gather without masks will prevent the spread of this virus and ultimately save lives. We look forward to a full hearing on the merits of the case and in the meantime are discussing other options to protect the health of our residents by limiting community spread and flattening the ongoing COVID surge in our county.’