Prince George’s County, Maryland, will enter what it is calling a full Phase Two of reopening on Monday.
“We remain cautiously optimistic as we move forward with our phased reopening and recovery of Prince George’s County,” County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said in a statement Thursday.
The county entered what it called a modified Phase Two June 15.
The transition into a “full Phase Two” will start Monday, June 29 at 5 p.m. Several nonessential businesses and services will be able to reopen with modifications, including:
- Gyms, fitness centers and other physical activities at one customer per 200 square feet, not to exceed 50% capacity.
- Casinos, bingo halls, bowling alleys, pool halls, indoor skating rinks and mini golf at 50% capacity; amusement parks at 40% capacity.
- Social clubs at 50% capacity.
- Retail stores at one person per 100 square feet inside the store, not to exceed 50% capacity.
- Shopping malls at 50% capacity and physical distancing in place.
- Personal services, including barbershops, salons, tattoo parlors, massage parlors and spas, at 50% capacity and by appointment only.
- Houses of worship may expand indoor services at 50% capacity.
- Child care for all children, with social distancing and disinfecting, staggered drop-offs and pickups, daily symptom checks and strict dismissal policy in the event of positive cases.
- Public and private outdoor pools at 50%. Indoor pools will remain closed.
- Car washes may now do internal cleaning, with employees wearing personal protective equipment and other safeguards in place.
- Outdoor youth sports may expand to no more than 100 people in any area, still in small groups with no more than nine children and one coach per group.
Large gatherings may start, with capacity limits — one person or family per 200 square feet up to a maximum of 100 people.
County government buildings will remain closed to the public.
“I am encouraged by the progress that we have made together as a community to slow the spread of this virus, and I know that if we all continue to take certain precautions, we can continue to contain the spread of COVID-19 in this next phase of our reopening,” Alsobrooks said.
The decision to move into a full Phase Two was based on declining numbers in hospitalizations and mortality, among others.
The county has also increased its testing capacity, and more than 9,000 residents are being tested per week. The Health Department is now offering free testing without appointments at all of its testing locations.
Prince George’s County has the highest number of positive cases in Maryland.
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