Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan will give businesses in Maryland the green light to reopen on Friday with some capacity restrictions, as the state moves into the third phase of reopening.
The order will include movie theaters and indoor concert venues, which will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity or 100 people, whichever is lower.
Outdoor venues can allow up to 200 people and places of worship will be able to open at 75%.
"Moving into stage three does not mean this crisis is behind us, and we must remain vigilant so we can keep Maryland open for business," Hogan said.
Hogan based his decision to reopen on contact tracing, testing capacity, supply of personal protective equipment and hospital capacity.
On Tuesday, Hogan said coronavirus numbers in every Maryland county have improved.
According to Maryland’s calculations, the statewide positivity rate has been under 5% for 68 consecutive days and under 4% for 24 consecutive days.
Maryland has seen a "continued and sustained drop" in cases per 100,000 people, according to Hogan. That number is what states have been using to decide travel restrictions.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.