AMENDED DIRECTIVE AND ORDER REGARDING COMMUNITY, RECREATIONAL,
LEISURE, CULTURAL AND SPORTING GATHERINGS AND EVENTS
Pursuant to Executive Order No. 20-10-16-02
No. MDH 2020-10-16-01
I, Robert R. Neall, Secretary of Health, finding it necessary for the prevention and control of 2019
Novel Coronavirus (“SARS-CoV-2” or “2019-NCoV” or “COVID-19”), and for the protection of
the health and safety of patients, staff, and other individuals in Maryland, hereby authorize and
order the following actions for the prevention and control of this infectious and contagious disease
under the Governor’s Declaration of Catastrophic Health Emergency.
This Amended Directive and Order replaces and supersedes the Directives and Orders
Regarding Community, Recreational, Leisure, Cultural and Sporting Gatherings and Events,
dated October 8, September 23, September 1, June 12 and June 10, 2020.
1.

Sports Gatherings and Events
A.

B.

For all sporting events, social gatherings at the venue, such as “tailgating,” are
prohibited. This includes:
i.

Any parking lots at/or associated with the venue;

ii.

Any common space, including, but not limited to fields at/or associated
with the venue; or

iii.

Or any other space within 1,000 feet of the venue.

For all outdoor sporting events:
i.

All individuals shall adhere to the face covering and social distancing
requirements, unless in the act of consuming food and beverage, in the Order
of the Governor No. 20-10-16-02, section IV.b.i.4 (as it may be amended
thereafter) (the “Executive Order”);

ii.

As used herein, the term “spectator” means a person at a sports facility who
is not (a) at the facility for the purpose of engaging in sporting or other
customary operations, or (b) a member of the media; and

 iii.

All spectators shall go to their seats and remain seated, to the extent possible.
At the end of the sporting event, all spectators shall exit the venue directly.
Note: Spectators may certainly stand so long as they do not leave their
seats.

C.

D.

All indoor sporting events (including, but not limited to major league, professional,
minor league, semi-professional, amateur, recreational, motor sports, and collegiate
sporting events), may open to the general public, provided, however, that:
i.

All individuals shall adhere to the face covering requirement and operating
requirements, including six feet social distancing between individuals and/or
groups, in the Executive Order;

ii.

The total number of spectators permitted in an indoor sports facility shall not
exceed at any one time the lesser of:
a.

50% of that indoor sports facility’s Maximum Occupancy (as defined
in the Executive Order), or

b.

100 persons.

College and High School Athletics.
i.

High school and college athletics may resume sports gatherings and events,
subject to the same conditions as set forth for outdoor sports and events in the
Executive Order, section III.j.iii, and for indoor sports and events in section
1.C above. For contact sports (e.g., wrestling, basketball, and football), play
should be modified to safely increase distance between players following
CDC guidance.

ii.

As permitted in the Executive Order, section III.j.iii.3, a college or university
athletic venue may host an outdoor athletic event at which the total number
of persons present (including spectators, players, and support personnel) is up
to 25% of the seating capacity of the venue, provided that all of the following
conditions are met:
a.

the spectators attending the event consist solely of students and staff
of the college or university hosting the event (the “Host College”);

b.

the Host College has implemented a policy of performing COVID-19
testing, using scientifically credible testing methods, on at least 15%
of its entire student population per week;

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 2.

3.

c.

at no time in the 14 days preceding the event has the COVID-19
positivity rate among the Host College’s student population been
higher than 0.25%;

d.

all student spectators are required to travel directly between their oncampus housing areas and the athletic venue without any nonessential stops or detours;

e.

For all sporting events, social gatherings at the venue, such as
“tailgating,” are prohibited. This includes:
i.

Any parking lots at or associated with the venue;

ii.

Any common space, including, but not limited to fields at or
associated with the venue; or

iii.

Or any other space within 1,000 feet of the venue.

f.

all persons are required to undergo temperature and COVID-19
symptom screenings prior to entering the venue;

g.

distance between seated spectators is maximized to the extent
reasonably possible, but is at least six feet; provided, that students
who are immediate roommates may be seated together; and

h.

all spectators are required to wear Face Coverings (as defined in the
Executive Order).

Youth Sports Gatherings and Events
A.

All youth sports gatherings and events may resume sporting and other customary
operations. Parents and family may spectate at youth sports gatherings with
appropriate social distancing.

B.

All individuals shall adhere to the face covering requirement and operating
requirements, including six feet social distancing between individuals and/or groups,
in the Executive Order.

C.

For contact sports (e.g., wrestling, basketball, and football), play should be modified
to safely increase the distance between players following CDC guidance.

Other Gatherings and Events
Convention events are prohibited until further notice.

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 4.

Severability

If any provision of this Directive and Order or its application to any person, entity, or circumstance
is held invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, all other provisions or applications of this
Directive and Order shall remain in effect to the extent possible without the invalid provision or
application. To achieve this purpose, the provisions of this Directive and Order are severable.
THIS DIRECTIVE AND ORDER IS ISSUED UNDER MY HAND THIS 16TH DAY OF
OCTOBER 2020 AND IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.

__________________________________________
Robert R. Neall
Secretary of Health

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