TOWSON, MD—The Baltimore County Council on Thursday announced that it will continue holding virtual sessions and meetings.

The County Council had been considering a return to in-person sessions and meetings, including Work Sessions and Legislative Sessions, with the Legislative Session scheduled for Tuesday, September 7th at 6:00 p.m.

Since the Council held its Budget Adoption Session in-person in the Council Chamber on May 27th, COVID vaccines were becoming more available, cases/hospitalizations/deaths were trending down in a positive direction, the local State of Emergency had ended in July, and the State had lifted all restrictions. It appeared that a return to in-person on September 7th might be a realistic goal.

However, now that the Council is concluding its summer schedule, there are significant concerns over the potential spread of the Delta variant. As a result, the Baltimore County Council will continue to conduct its meetings and sessions virtually via video teleconference.

“We want to be smart and deliberate about how we respond to the Delta variant and this recent uptick in COVID numbers,” said Council Chairman Julian E. Jones, Jr. “Although we would like to resume in-person meetings and ‘get back to normal,’ we don’t want to put anyone’s health and safety at risk unnecessarily.”

Anyone wishing to connect to the Council’s virtual meetings can do so by visiting the County Council Virtual Sessions and Hearings page on the Council Website at: https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/countycouncil/virtualmeetings.html. Residents can also reach the County Council at 410-887-3196.