Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan will begin gradually reopening the state this weekend, while D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser extended the city’s stay-at-home order and closure of nonessential businesses through June 8.
Both Maryland and Virginia will ease restrictions in the coming days to allow some institutions to reopen, with strict social distancing measures in place. Hard-hit Northern Virginia is exempted from the first phase of reopening, and both states are allowing local leaders to opt out.
Hogan’s move from a stay-home order to a “safer-at-home” advisory followed a two-week statewide plateau in hospitalizations for covid-19 patients, as well as increasing pressure on governors nationwide to reignite economies that have been brought to a standstill.
Leaders of Prince George’s and Montgomery County say they plan to stay closed for now. They are among the state’s four largest jurisdictions, which are home to 70 percent of known coronavirus infections. Top officials in the other two, Baltimore City and Baltimore County, said they will decide by Thursday evening whether to reopen.