As Maryland’s number of daily new coronavirus cases and the positive test rate continue to rise, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. on Monday announced that he will allocate additional funding for supplies for schools to return to in-person learning, and grant funding for restaurants that make investments in coronavirus safety infrastructure.
Baltimore County will allocate $11.5 million of CARES Act funding for Baltimore County Public Schools principals to prepare their schools to reopen for in-person instruction, Olszewski said.
The county will obtain personal protective equipment, cleaning and sanitizing products, air purifiers, and other equipment and supplies, which school principals will be able to acquire directly from the county for up to $100 worth of supplies per student.
“We all want our kids and educators back in the classroom, and while currently we’re seeing a concerning increase in cases nationwide, we are doing everything we can to make sure our school buildings are prepared for the eventual safe return to in-person instruction,” Olszewski said in a statement. “These funds will support our school-level administrators as they work to identify and address their unique needs.”
Baltimore County will also use state funds to complement the county’s existing grants for restaurants and other food service establishments.
In October, Baltimore County provided up to $15,000 per business for restaurants and other food service establishments that made safety improvements aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus, such as protective shields, and as well investments for outdoor dining, like patio heaters and tents.
Eateries that received that grant funding from the county will now receive an additional $15,000 match from the state to continue improving the safety of their business for customers and workers.
Restaurants that did not receive that previous grant funding from the county will be able to apply for a second round of funding, with grants of up to $30,000. Food service businesses will be able to apply for the money starting at 9 a.m. on Nov. 16 on the Department of Economic and Workforce Development’s website.
On Monday, Maryland’s rate of positive cases surpassed 5% for the first time since June and the state reported more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus for the sixth consecutive day, according to the Maryland Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
Baltimore County’s rate of daily new cases increased by 90.7% from Oct. 23 to Nov. 7. The county’s positive test rate also increased by 71.4% over that same period, and now sits at 4.8%, county officials said.
Hospitalizations also increased by 153% from Oct. 7 to Nov. 7. Baltimore County is now recording an average of 20.4 cases per 100,000 residents, officials said.
As Maryland’s coronavirus metrics rise, Olszewski said Baltimore County is continuing to enforce requirements for wearing masks and social distancing at bars, restaurants and retail establishments.
The county’s Social Distancing Task Force has conducted about 5,200 inspections of businesses to date, including both inspections that were pro-active and prompted by complaints, officials said.
With Thanksgiving less than three weeks away and the winter holiday season approaching, Olszewski discouraged people from attending large and indoor gatherings, noting that such settings pose a greater risk for coronavirus transmission.
“I continue to believe that public efforts are most effective when enacted on a statewide basis, but if we continue to see increasing community spread of the virus, we must consider enacting new gathering restrictions in Baltimore County to combat this spike,” Olszewski said.
