Anne Arundel Co. judge blocks indoor dining ban

A judge in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, has temporarily blocked the county from enforcing an executive order that banned indoor dining.

Circuit Court Judge William C. Mulford II issued a temporary restraining order hours before the restriction was set to take effect Wednesday evening, according to the four-page ruling tweeted by a WJZ-Baltimore reporter.

The ruling is in favor of the plaintiffs, which include Titan Hospitality Group LLC and other local restaurateurs who filed the lawsuit against County Executive Steuart Pittman.

Judge Mulford found that Mr. Pittman “appears to have relied on a selective interpretation of the data relating to COVID-19 matters that ignores or minimizes other sources of COVID-19 contact and has not clearly explained the overall hospital capacity in Anne Arundel County as it relates to COVID exposure.”

Moreover, the ruling states that workers may be laid off at the start of the holiday season, which is “one of the best times of the year for them in terms of work opportunities and income.”

“These costs are not purely financial to all of these parties,” the ruling states. “The request is to work, to live, to provide a service to others, and to survive as citizens in society in an occupation of one’s choice. The health and well-being of these individuals is also at harm and this cannot be underestimated.”

Restaurants are able to keep serving patrons at 25% indoor capacity until the next hearing, scheduled for Dec. 28.

Mr. Pittman released a statement Wednesday expressing disappointment over the ruling.

“We believe the science from public health experts is clear and it shows that taking actions to limit situations where people gather without masks will prevent the spread of this virus and ultimately save lives,” he said. “We look forward to a full hearing on the merits of the case and in the meantime are discussing other options to protect the health of our residents by limiting community spread and flattening the ongoing COVID surge in our county.”

Outdoor dining was also supposed to be prohibited under the order, but the county executive changed his mind Wednesday and decided to allow it.