Prince George's County could move toward modified phase 1 reopening by June 1, officials say
LARGO, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - If current data trends continue, Prince George's County could move toward a modified phase one reopening on June 1, officials announced Thursday.
According to recent data, "the county is on a downward trend in positivity rates, hospitalizations and death rates."
Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather
“After reviewing recent data, we are cautiously moving toward a modified phase one reopening by June 1. While the data has improved, we are not out of the woods yet. I urge all Prince Georgians to exercise caution, use good judgment, and observe the stay-at-home order this holiday weekend so that we can stay on track to begin reopening by our target date," said Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
County data shows the week of May 3 through May 9 had the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Prince George's County, with an average of 244 inpatients in hospitals per day.
Starting on May 10, the county began to see a decrease with last week’s average being 208 patients.
Hospitals in the county this week are averaging 184 patients, which shows a 25 percent decrease from the peak.
Alsobrooks will provide an update in the coming days, according to a news release.
RELATED: DC, Maryland and Virginia coronavirus case total latest
While the rest of Maryland entered phase 1 of reopening last week, Prince George’s County, along with Montgomery County, opted to delay reopening due to increasing COVID-19 cases.
The District and its suburbs in Maryland and Northern Virginia had – at that point – fallen short of the benchmarks for reopening put in place by the White House and the CDC.
Maryland’s counties in the District’s suburbs account for roughly half of the state’s COVID-19 cases.
After 11 days of declining cases, the District announced on Thursday that it may consider entering phase one of reopening a week from Friday if current trends continue.