Anne Arundel county executive ends state of emergency

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman has ended the county’s state of emergency prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and also signed into law a measure extending outdoor dining privileges for restaurants through Nov. 1.

Both the legislation and the executive order took effect upon signature, Pittman’s office said in a news release.

“Signing Bill 55-21 (extending outdoor dining  allowances) supports our local business owners as they continue recovering from the economic impacts of the pandemic,” Pittman said in a statement. “While the emergency order has ended, COVID has not. We are seeing the work of the vaccines in our low case and hospitalization rates — the numbers give us hope that the pandemic is truly coming to an end. But we must finish this fight strong, and we must see a summer surge in vaccinations to prevent a fall surge in cases to end this pandemic.”