Masks are no longer required in Baltimore’s City Hall, Mayor Brandon Scott announced Tuesday.
Scott has lifted the mask mandate for the Board of Estimates room and the rest of City Hall after consulting with the Baltimore’s health commissioner.
“With this announcement, we take one more step towards returning City business to a state of normalcy after a long and difficult chapter in our history,” Mayor Brandon M. Scott said in a statement.
The move comes after the World Health Organization declared that the COVID-19 global health emergency is over.
The Biden administration plans to end COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said the end of the COVID-19 global health emergency marks a shift toward treating the virus like other infectious diseases.
“However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat,” Ghebreyesus said. “Last week, COVID-19 claimed a life every three minutes – and that’s just the deaths we know about.”
“The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about,” Ghebreyesus added.
"It is therefore with great hope that I declare #COVID19 over as a global health emergency.
However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat.
Last week, COVID-19 claimed a life every three minutes – and that’s just the deaths we know about"-@DrTedros pic.twitter.com/n6zad8qSdx — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 5, 2023
"The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that #COVID19 is nothing to worry about"-@DrTedros — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 5, 2023
At the end of last month, the Maryland Department of Health shut down its online COVID-19 dashboard, moving data and resources to a new page on the state health department’s site. Maryland’s COVID-19 data can continue to be viewed here.
