For Immediate Release:
August 14, 2020
Re: Directive and Order of Closure for the Hagerstown Speedway
On August 13, 2020, the Washington County Health Department issued a Directive and Order of Closure for the Hagerstown Speedway. The order was executed after the Health Department became aware of the Hagerstown Speedway’s intent to violate the Governor’s Executive Order by holding and advertising an event open to the general public and spectators for August 16, 2020. Allowing the general public and spectators at raceways violates the Governor’s Executive Order that clearly states, “establishments may open for racing and other customary operations, but not to the general public.”
The decision to close the Hagerstown Speedway was not taken lightly or made hastily. For several months, the Health Department has been in communication with the Hagerstown Speedway regarding warnings of violations, giving them opportunities to corrections in order to operate their business in a manner that does not pose an unreasonable risk of exacerbating the spread of COVID-19.
The Washington County Health Department issued an Order of Immediate Compliance on June 4, 2020 to the Hagerstown Speedway to correct their violations in order for them to operate their facility in a safe manner and comply with the Governor’s Executive Order 20-08-03-01 and Maryland Health Secretary Robert Neall’s Directive 2020-06-12-01. After the PA Speedweek Event held on July 2, 2020 which was attended by the general public, an investigation found the following violations of the Order of Immediate Compliance:
a. Use of the speedway must be by appointment only and must be scheduled in advance: Nothing posted to the Hagerstown Speedway website or social media platforms regarding appointment requirement.
b. All staff and members of the race teams must wear facial coverings anytime they interact with members of another team or track employees; drivers of cars are excluded while wearing helmets: Photos indicate that staff and race team members are not in compliance with the face-covering requirement.
c. Signage must be posted by the entrance gate indicating gathering in teams of more than 1O are strictly prohibited and that spectators/general public are not allowed: No evidence of signage regarding team size limitations.
d. Capacity limit, all team requirements, and closure to spectators/general public shall be posted on the Hagerstown Speedway’s website and social media platforms. No mention of appointment only, or requirement that racers vacate premises after 30 minutes on any platform.
e. The business must remain closed to the public: On July 2, 2020 the PA Speedweek Event was held and attended by the general public.
Should the Hagerstown Speedway desire to reopen in the future, a new plan may be submitted to the Health Department for consideration. The plan must detail how they will modify their operations to ensure compliance with the Governor’s Executive Orders.
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Health Services/Public Information
Wchd.pio@maryland.gov
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