Indoor and Outdoor Dining to Reopen in Baltimore City on Friday with Restrictions

Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott announced today that the shutdown of dining in Baltimore City will be lifted this Friday at 6am. Restaurants and bars can reopen indoor seating at 25 percent and outdoor dining at 50 percent. Indoor and outdoor dining has been prohibited in Baltimore City since December 11th due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patrons at Baltimore bars and restaurants will be allowed to stay for one hour and must sign in and sign out. Mayor Scott also announced he is reopening the outdoor dining and street closure program. The new rules will be in place for at least four weeks.

Mayor Scott said he will continue to review the economic impact of the restrictions and said today’s decision was due to the leveling of cases in the city. New cases are decreasing in Baltimore City, which currently has the lowest positivity rate in the state. Baltimore currently has 35,936 COVID-19 cases, 437 hospitalizations, and 88 patients in ICU. Baltimore has suffered 705 deaths due to COVID-19.

Many Baltimore restaurant owners have been vocal against the dining shutdown as surrounding counties have been allowed to continue to host customers. This includes stories from Baltimore restaurants that were chosen by Barstool Sports’ The Barstool Fund and highlighted in the new fundraiser for local restaurants launched by Jimmy’s Famous Seafood.

Mayor Scott recently hosted a virtual meeting with members of the restaurant community to get feedback on the economic impact of the pandemic on restaurants’ ownership, management, and workers.

Additional changes today include allowing fitness classes to resume with 10 participants or less with masks required. All indoor recreation sites are permitted to reopen at 25 percent capacity with the exception of adult entertainment, hookah lounges, and cigar lounges.

The Baltimore Development Corporation has made more than 1,000 grants to small businesses.

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While we are grateful that some of the restrictions are being relaxed, all is not well for many businesses as they have…

Posted by Jimmy’s Famous Seafood on Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Photo from Federal Hill Main Street of the outdoor dining markets being removed in December

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