Dozens of county restaurants have joined as plaintiffs Photo by Briana Adhikusuma |
December 19, 2020
A press conference was held on Friday to discuss efforts to seek a temporary restraining order and an injunction against Montgomery County and other jurisdictions over their restrictions on dining. Marshall Weston Jr., the president and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland, at right, is speaking.
This story was updated at 11:05 a.m. Dec. 18, 2020, to add comments from Ashish Alfred, at 12:05 p.m. and 12:40 p.m. with other details and comments.
The Restaurant Association of Maryland and dozens of restaurants in Montgomery County have turned to the courts in a push to roll back a recent order that banned indoor dining.
Maryland Restaurant Association sues to roll back bans on indoor dining
Rachel Chason, The Washington Post
Dec. 18, 2020
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Restaurant-goers peruse the menu while dining in at Tsunami Ramen and Tapas in Frederick, Md., in December.Washington Post photo by Katherine Frey.
The Restaurant Association of Maryland announced lawsuits Friday against Montgomery County, Prince George s County and Baltimore City in an attempt to roll back coronavirus-related bans on different types of restaurant dining in those jurisdictions.
Association president Marshall Weston said the bans on indoor dining in Montgomery and Prince George s and on indoor and outdoor dining in Baltimore City have led to layoffs and furloughs amid the Christmas holiday season. He said too many restaurant employees are being asked to accept the grossly unfair burden of losing their jobs in the hopes of stopping the spread of covid.
Restaurant Association of Maryland, nearly 100 restaurants sue over indoor dining bans Follow Us
Question of the Day In this file photo, a downtown Bethesda, Md. restaurant is closed as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order takes effect, closing bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters across the state in response to coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020. On Dec. . more > By Emily Zantow - The Washington Times - Friday, December 18, 2020
The Restaurant Association of Maryland joined forces with nearly 100 restaurants statewide Friday to bring a fight against coronavirus restrictions to the courts.
The association and restaurateurs filed injunctions to reverse the recent bans on indoor dining in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, as well as the bans on indoor and outdoor dining in Baltimore.
December 18, 2020
On December 16, 2020, County Executive Steuart Pittman announced changes to Executive Order #39, which is effective at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 16.
The executive order enacts the new COVID-19 restrictions announced on December 10. The revisions announced today permit outdoor dining, provided that no more than 50% of tent sides are down and all COVID social distancing and safety protocols are followed. The amended and restated executive order also clarifies restrictions and policies around sports practices, bingo halls, and indoor ice rinks and roller rinks.
“The revisions announced today resulted from the input we received from business and community stakeholders,” said County Executive Pittman. “Hospitalization projections and the impact of our actions on those numbers are the primary drivers of our policies, but we must also do everything in our power to assist the county residents who have suffered most throughout this pandemic – our low wage work
“We’re not going to be out there, you know, checking people or having law enforcement come after people for traveling,” Mr. Hogan said. “We’re just gonna rely on the good faith of the people that are gonna listen to these orders because they’re critically important for keeping people alive, and we’re going to try to ensure as much compliance as we can and just get people to cooperate.”
Additionally, Mr. Hogan said the state Department of Health issued a public advisory that reduces gathering limits from 25 people to 10. The department also is advising residents to abstain from non-essential activities and gatherings with people they do not live with.