The mask mandate in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, will stand, at least for now.
The Anne Arundel Circuit Court on Wednesday denied a temporary restraining order that sought to stop the implementation of the mandate, which was ordered earlier this month by Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman after the County Council voted down the proposal.
A challenge to the mandate will be heard in court Jan. 25, but the plaintiffs asked for a restraining order which would immediately overturn it.
In the opinion by Judge Donna Schaeffer, the court found that the plaintiffs hadn’t shown that they would “suffer immediate, substantial and irreparable harm” by waiting on the results of the Jan. 25 challenge.
County Executive Steuart Pittman said in a statement after the ruling that “39 of our residents lost their lives to COVID last week. Keeping this requirement in place for a little longer will help reduce the strains on our hospitals and healthcare workers, and save the lives of our friends, our neighbors, and our family members.”
The order is set to expire Jan. 31.
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