Statement from the Montgomery County Council and County Executive Elrich on Montgomery County's public health guidelines

Statement from the Montgomery County Council and County Executive Elrich on Montgomery County's public health guidelines

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For Immediate Release:  April 28, 2021

The Montgomery County Council and County Executive Marc Elrich issued the following statement on Gov. Hogan's decision to lift the face-covering mandate outdoors and to strike all restrictions on outdoor dining on May 1.

"Just yesterday the Council, acting as the Board of Health, approved a new public health regulation that provided further phased reopenings tied to COVID-19 vaccination percentages. This regulation, which was developed with Montgomery County's public health team, remains in place and is unaffected by Gov. Hogan's latest executive order.

"County residents should continue to follow face-covering guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our regulation anticipated changes to the mask guidance, which is why our latest regulation clearly adopted the stricter of the CDC or Maryland Department of Health guidance.

"We learned of Gov. Hogan's order when it was announced publicly so our staff are reviewing the state order to determine any potential impacts on the Board of Health regulation.

"We are pleased that Montgomery County has the lowest case rate among 78 of the largest jurisdictions east of the Mississippi River, according to the New York Times data tracker. These low rates validate the approach we have consistently taken to put public health first.

"As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue to prioritize the guidance from our professional public health team to further drive down case rates, vaccinate our residents as quickly as possible and emerge as a stronger, healthier and more sustainable community."

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Montgomery County's April 27 public health regulation can be viewed here.

Face covering guidance from the CDC can be viewed here.