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Howard County eases capacity restrictions on some events like wedding receptions

How a Maine wedding turned into a deadly coronavirus super-spreader
Posted at 12:41 PM, Feb 17, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-17 12:41:17-05

HOWARD COUNTY — Capacity restrictions on recreational sports and programs, wedding receptions, and social and fraternal organizations will be relaxed in Howard County.

It will go into effect on Friday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m. The decision to relax restrictions on events follows significant decreases in Howard County’s positivity rate and case rate per 100,000 residents, currently at 3.8% and 13.2 cases, respectively.

This week Howard County’s 7-day average positivity rate fell below 4% for the first time since Nov. 8.

The new Executive Order allows:

· Wedding receptions and social and fraternal organizations to host up to 50 percent capacity;
· Indoor recreational sports and programs to host 50 percent capacity or 100 people, whichever is less;
· Outdoor recreational sports and programs to host 50 percent capacity or 250 people, whichever is less.

These types of gatherings had been limited to a 10-person maximum indoors and 25-person maximum outdoors since late November to account for increasing COVID case and positivity rates in Howard County.

The gathering limit is still in effect for the following:

· Family gatherings
· Parties
· Cookouts
· Parades
· Festivals
· Conventions
· Fundraisers
· Other gatherings not associated with operating or patronizing a business that sells merchandise