BALTIMORE — On Friday, Mayor Brandon Scott tweeted, that Baltimore City restaurants could stay open past 10 p.m. come Monday.
The social media post read, "In alignment with the State’s curfew mandate, restaurants and bars in Baltimore will be allowed to remain open past 10 p.m. starting Monday."
The announcement comes after yesterday's announcement by Gov. Larry Hogan. He announced that bars and restaurants in Maryland can stay open after 10 p.m., starting Monday, Feb. 1.
The governor issued an emergency order lifting the restrictions on Thursday. He cited "several weeks of improved COVID-19 metrics."
In a statement Hogan said:
"With our data trends showing continued improvement, the holiday surges behind us, and the increasing speed of vaccinations, we are now able to take this step. Marylanders must continue to remain cautious and vigilant in order to keep ourselves, our families, and our communities safe and healthy."
The governor noted in a press release that the state's COVID positivity rate has dropped by 34.7 percent and is now the lowest reported since November 13. The statewide case rate has dropped by 37.1 percent, and hospitalizations have dropped by 16.2 percent.
Restaurants like Mother's Bar & Grille, which has several locations in multiple counties, said it was happy to see Baltimore jump on board.
"Monday through Thursday we’re going keep it at 10 but at least we don’t have to feel like we have to hurry people out," said owner Kelly Rathers. "On the weekends will probably stay open until about midnight or one depending what business drives."
Bartender Brooke Fitzgerald told WMAR-2 News that every hour a business can stay open longer means more money.
"It feels like I’m getting a little bit back to normal, you know? We are used to bartending until 2 a.m.," she said.
While Mayor Scott is giving the green light for bars and restaurants to extend service hours on Monday, he said the one hour time limit for guests and capacity caps will remain the same.
Scott also issued this safety warning.
"It’s not the time for people to be barhopping," he said. "That is not responsible behavior. We have to be responsible. We have the lowest positivity rate in the state, and we want to keep it that way."
