TOWSON, MD—Baltimore County officials have announced that the county’s new tourism grant that was unveiled in March will be suspended due to COVID-19.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic & the county’s ongoing response, the Tourism Celebration Grant program has been suspended until further notice,” officials said on Thursday morning. “Our focus is connecting (businesses) to all available economic resources related to COVID. For assistance, visit http://baltimorecountymd.gov/dewdstatus.”

The grants, which were initially announced on March 9, were to be in amounts from $2,000 to $20,000 for events taking place in Baltimore County between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.

They had been introduced as a “new opportunity to enhance the visitor experience in Baltimore County by leveraging $210,000 in county funding for tourism or cultural arts events.”