What’s happening?
In the weeks before the new year, the Baltimore Brew spoke to dozens of frustrated Baltimoreans who waited in line for hours to get tested for COVID-19. As the omicron variant caused a surge in cases and overwhelmed hospitals, many residents wondered why the city hadn’t gone back under lockdown.
How did Baltimore’s mayor respond to their concerns?
During a virtual event on January 2, Mayor Brandon Scott announced the city was ordering an additional 100,000 at-home COVID tests and setting up additional testing sites.
According to the Baltimore Brew, Mayor Scott shut down indoor dining at the beginning of the pandemic when 366 people were hospitalized due to COVID and the positivity rate was 7.3%. On the day of the mayor’s announcement, there were 550 Covid-related hospitalizations in Baltimore and the positivity rate was 24%, according to Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa.
Pushing back on the mayor’s update, Baltimore residents said they wanted more restrictions like vaccine mandates to enter bars and restaurants and virtual schooling for students.
Anything else I should know?
As of this week, Baltimore City schools remain open and no further restrictions have been put in place throughout the city.
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