News

Coronavirus stats continue downward trend in Maryland, Prince George’s

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At least 57,973 Marylanders have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of pandemic, according to data released June 7 by the Maryland Department of Health. That’s equivalent to roughly 10 cases for every 1,000 residents, statewide. But the number of positive tests reported by the state in the past 14 days, a metric Route 1 Reporter has been tracking, has continued to trend down. According to state data, there were 10,821 positive tests in the past 14 days as of June 7. The last time this number was below 11,000 was late April.

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News

Prince George’s ‘Phase Two’ re-opening could begin June 15

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Prince George’s County could enter a “modified phase two reopening” June 15. But that’s only if current, declining trends in county coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations hold steady, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced Thursday evening. “We are encouraged by the trends we are seeing in our data since announcing our modified phase one reopening, but we must remain vigilant,” said Alsobrooks. 

According to Alsobrook’s announcement, a modified phase two reopening will allow for the partial re-opening of personal services, outdoor recreation, retail establishments, food establishments and houses of worship. Prince George’s County Health Department will be tracking coronavirus test positivity rates, deaths, hospitalizations and hospital bed capacity as it prepares to make a final determination. Prince George’s County entered a modified “phase one” re-opening June 1.

College Park

Tiny Trolley Trail gap to be bridged in Berwyn

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Sometimes, it’s the little things. A small gap in the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail in College Park could soon be filled per a plan under review with Prince George’s planners. The gap is currently located to the north of the Trolley Trail’s intersection with Berwyn Road in College Park. The plans will bridge what is currently a small gravel parking lot which has stood in the way of the trail. Though, to be fair, the lot hasn’t been much of an obstacle.

Hyattsville Mayor Candace Hollingsworth poses for a photo.
Hyattsville

Hyattsville Mayor outlines 35 racial-equity policy goals for city

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Shortly before Hyattsville City Council unanimously approved a resolution committing itself to enact policies defending black life and undoing the effects of systemic racism, Hyattsville Mayor Candace Hollingsworth published a blog post outlining a series of policies the city should pursue to accomplish an anti-racist agenda. “As Mayor of the city of Hyattsville, I believe I have had some great successes. I’ve been spending the last few days combing through what has been — until now — a nondisclosed agenda. By sharing, I am inviting you to join me as we work unapologetically to secure black futures,” wrote Hollingsworth. “The risk is that you will piss some people off but know that your legacy — whichever you choose — will be protected by those who love you.

News

Maryland covid numbers hold steady as test rate, hospitalizations decrease

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Nearly 52,800 Marylanders have been diagnosed with coronavirus, with 13,016 cases diagnosed in the two weeks before May 31, 2020, according to the latest data from the Maryland Department of Health. The two-week population of cases continues to plateau, not moving much even after testing was expanded to individuals without symptoms.

Statewide, the positivity rate for coronavirus testing is dropping persistently. As of May 31, 2020, the statewide positive test rate is 10.9 percent, the lowest level seen since April 15, 2020. Maryland has now conducted 348,773 COVID-19 tests, including 9,412 tests over the 24 hours before May 31, 2020. Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, with positivity rates still above the rest of the state, continue to see steady decreases.

Development

292-home Preserve at Westphalia preliminary plans approved by P.G. Planning Board

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The Prince George’s County Planning Board took action on a preliminary site plan for 292 new homes and a bunch of commercial space at the Preserve at Westphalia. Also before the Planning Board at its May 29, 2020, meeting: A detailed site plan to rebuild a McDonalds in Riverdale Park, conceptual site plans for an ironworks near Fort Washington, and detailed plans for a large storage facility. You can find agenda details from the meeting here. More details below: 

Preserve at Westphalia

With some minor conditions, the Prince George’s County Planning Board unanimously approved preliminary plans for the Preserve at Westphalia which would bring 184 townhomes, 108 detached homes, and 12,500 square feet of commercial space to a 64-acre plot of land at the intersection of Westphalia Road and Richie Marlboro Road. The project comes from Green Revolution Realty LLC. Riverdale Park McDonalds

The Planning Board unanimously approved with conditions a special permit to rehab the existing McDonalds restaurant at the intersection of East-West Highway and Baltimore Avenue in Riverdale Park. The application asked for a departure from development design standards to update the facade and make two additions to the existing building.

College Park

College Park approves $1.7M coronavirus relief fund

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College Park City Council unanimously approved a $1.65 million coronavirus relief package designed to aid businesses and provide direct aid to city residents affected by the pandemic’s disruptions. 

The vote took place at College Park’s May 26, 2020, City Council meeting, held virtually. The measure is expected to be funded through federal disaster aid reimbursements. 

The biggest line item in the relief package is a $1 million small business assistance grant program. Only College Park city businesses with 25 or fewer full-time may apply. The program provides up to $15,000 per business for to offset losses from business interruptions or decreased customer demand caused by the emergency measures imposed to try to stem the spread of the disease. The grants are further restricted to commercial entities with no more than 10 outlets.

Coronavirus

Confirmed Maryland covid cases plateau; State hospital hotspot shows up on ZIP data

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By May 25, 2020, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maryland increased to 47,152 and the number of deaths climbed to 2,302. But by several metrics – including daily new confirmed cases, daily deaths and two-week population of new confirmed cases – the coronavirus outbreak in Maryland seems to have leveled off, for now. With many parts of the state re-opening, reports of casual-to-non-existent compliance with social distancing at Maryland’s beachside vacation hubs, and expanded no-symptom-needed testing regimes coming online, it will be interesting to see how these trend-lines move over the next few weeks. !function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*='”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}}))}();

For instance, charted above, the daily population of people with cases confirmed in the preceding two-weeks has hovered between 12,400 and 13,400 since May 6, 2020. !function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*='”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}}))}();

Likewise, charted above, the number of daily new confirmed coronavirus cases has been slightly down since May 19, 2020, when a backlog of test results were added into state data.