Governor Hogan lifts capacity restrictions for conventions and banquets; Work search requirements to be reinstated

Governor Hogan's statewide lifting of restrictions
On May 12, 2021, Governor Hogan announced lifting of restrictions on indoor and outdoor venues - including "convention and banquet facilities" - and indoor and outdoor dining. Click here for the executive order, which goes into effect on May 15. The indoor mask requirement remains in place, but will be lifted when 70% of Maryland adults receive at lease one dose of the vaccine.   According to Maryland's COVID-19 Vaccination dashboard, that number is currently above 65%.

Local Jurisdiction Updates
Convention and banquet facilities in Baltimore City will remain limited to 50% max capacity. Read the press release here.

According to this article, Montgomery County will not follow the state, but will stick with their current phased-in reopening which is tied to county vaccination rates. 

Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks put out this updated Executive Order, which states "Other business establishments and activities will be allowed with some capacity restrictions still in place (social distancing required), including: Banquet halls, receptions and meeting rooms in hotels, conference centers and similar establishments – maintaining 50% of maximum capacity" effective Monday, May 17 at 5:01 p.m.

​Anne Arundel County has announced they will follow along with the state's reopening plan. (Read more here.)

We are monitoring the decision of other local jurisdictions.

Work Search Requirements to be Reinstated
Additionally, Governor Hogan has directed the Maryland Department of Labor to work in collaboration with the federal administration to begin the process of reinstating work search requirements to connect more job seekers with good opportunities. The Department of Commerce has shared that the requirements are scheduled to be reinstated by late June.