'COVID-19 Cases On The Rise In Harford': Exec On New Restrictions
HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Harford County is taking multiple measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including closing county buildings to the public and suspending organized outdoor activities on county fields, such as tournaments. The measures come as cases have spiked in the past two weeks.
Harford County will put out drop boxes for documents and payments at 220 S. Main Street in Bel Air while county buildings are closed. Officials say Harford County government will remain open for business as county employees who are authorized to telework will do so until further notice.
Organized activities will be suspended at county parks until further notice, and some parks and recreation programming has been moved online.
County parks will remain open, and social distancing is required.
Modified service will be in place for Harford Transit.
The new measures will take effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, in response to a spike in coronavirus cases in Harford County.
State health officials say 4,329 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Harford County as of Thursday, Nov. 12.
The coronavirus case rate is 25.82 per 100,000 people as of Thursday in Harford County, compared with 7.27 the day before Halloween, officials said.
When an area exceeds 10 new cases per 100,000, community spread has accelerated and is at dangerous levels, according to the Harvard Global Health Institute. If the case rate is greater than 25, officials say community spread is out of control and may require measures to curb the infection.
“Public safety is my top priority in responding to this recent surge, and my long-term goal is to keep our economy and government services open for business,” County Executive Barry Glassman said in a statement.
“I understand the inconvenience, but I believe these actions will put us in a stronger position with COVID-19 cases on the rise in Harford County and beyond," Glassman said. "As the pandemic wears on, and we head into colder weather, I also want to remind folks to continue hand-washing, social distancing and wearing a mask when required. These three simple steps can save lives.”
The positivity rate is 7.36 percent in Harford County Thursday, according to the Maryland Department of Health. It is the first time since June the positivity rate has been that high, according to Harford County officials. The World Health Organization has recommended a positivity rate of 5 percent to ensure there is enough testing to detect who has the virus in a community.
Glassman said he has ordered 1,500 rapid COVID-19 tests to support a rapid response to potential cases in county government and allied agencies, including the Harford County Health Department, Harford County Public Schools, volunteer fire companies and law enforcement agencies.
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This article originally appeared on the Bel Air Patch
