After Large Crowds Gather In Fells Point Saturday Night, City Temporarily Closes Some Streets And Vehicular Traffic
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Several roads in Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood will be temporarily closed to all but local traffic to reduce the number of vehicles in the area and keep people from congregating, city councilman Zeke Cohen's office said Sunday evening.
The closures come one day after multiple large gatherings were reported in the neighborhood despite a stay-at-home order remaining in place in the city due to the coronavirus pandemic. The city will fully move into the first stage of Gov. Larry Hogan's Roadmap to Recovery plan on Monday; most of the state moved into phase two on Friday evening.
Starting at 5 p.m. Sunday, police closed several roads, including:
- Southbound South Broadway at Aliceanna Street
- Northbound South Broadway at Thames Street
- Eastbound Lancaster Street at South Bond Street
- Westbound Lancaster Street at South Ann Street
Large gatherings have been reported in the neighborhood during the pandemic prior to Saturday; last month, police dispersed a group of hundreds of people who gathered in Fells Point, using a helicopter to remind them the stay-at-home order was still in effect.
"The Sheriff's Office committed to deploying deputies and a sergeant to Fell's Point this evening and BPD committed to a significant deployment of their officers from the Southeastern District. Additionally, Liquor Board inspectors will be in Fell's Point speaking with businesses and enforcing liquor license regulations," Cohen wrote in a post in a neighborhood Facebook group.
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Over the weekend, the city's public works department said the Waterfront Partnership plans to clean litter along streets and sidewalks in the neighborhood.
Full road closures will start next week.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
