Pandemic restrictions will soon be lifted on Prince George’s County, Maryland, businesses, and other changes are coming as early as next week.
In an online town hall meeting Tuesday night with residents, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said infection rates are down, vaccination rates are up, and changes are coming to pandemic restrictions on businesses Monday at 5 p.m.
“We are anticipating in the next few days … to make announcements about fully reopening our businesses,” Alsobrooks said. “We believe we are at a point … to reopen completely because our numbers have trended in the right direction. We know that we are seeing declining infection rates … declining positivity rates; we’re pleased with the hospital capacity. So we are really feeling good about our ability to safely reopen.”
Currently, businesses in Prince George’s County, including restaurants, retail shops, gyms, theaters and the MGM National Harbor Casino, are operating at 50% capacity.
While Alsobrooks did not spell out the changes in public health restrictions, she told residents the action is imminent.
“We will be releasing information that will detail the changes that will occur; they will begin May 17 at 5 p.m.” she said.
Just two months ago, Prince George’s struggled with its vaccination program, with mostly Montgomery County and Howard County residents taking advantage of the Six Flags America mass vaccination site located within the county in Bowie. Prince George’s County also had among the state’s worst vaccination rates.
“I am so proud to say that we are now one of the top counties in the state in terms of vaccines administered,” Alsobrooks said.
More than 274,000 county residents are completely vaccinated; more than 367,000 residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Alsobrooks urged all eligible county residents who are unvaccinated to get the vaccine, and she promised renewed efforts to reach people, including a 24-hour vaccine clinic on at the Wayne K. Curry Sports and Learning Center in Landover starting at 9 a.m. on Friday.
The county executive also announced that a new countywide effort to boost vaccinations is set to launch, in which county representatives wearing reflective vests and sporting badges hope to knock on doors at 246,000 homes in the weeks ahead. They will offer vaccination appointments and information about county resources available during the pandemic.
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