Baltimore, Baltimore County will be cautious when it comes to reopening

BALTIMORE, Md. — In a joint statement, Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young and Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski Jr. said they are cautious about easing stay-at-home orders in their jurisdictions.

Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday announced that he would lift the stay-at-home order beginning on Friday at 5 p.m. and that certain businesses would be able to reopen with restrictions in place.

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"For the Baltimore region to safely move into all of phase one, we need more access to personal protective equipment, as well as increased testing capacity and more robust contact tracing," Young and Olszewski said. "We’ve seen some progress in each of these areas, but we have to do even more."

They said they would review the new guidance and determine over the next day how they would proceed.

"We acknowledge that this will not be welcome news to all of our residents. Individuals and businesses continue to make real sacrifices, and those sacrifices are preventing the spread of a deadly virus," they said. "However, rushing to reopen in our large, densely populated jurisdictions jeopardizes the lives of our neighbors and loved ones."

Both urged residents to stay home, wear a mask when out and to maintain social distancing.