 Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich addresses how the combined efforts of residents and businesses to follow COVID-19 guidelines the County established have led to Montgomery County having some of the best numbers in Maryland in the battle against the virus. However, he also explains why the County is not ready to adopt some of the broad reopening guidelines Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced this week.
 An amended Montgomery County Board of Health regulation to allow a further phased reopening tied to COVID-19 vaccinations has been unanimously approved by the County Council. The provisions of the regulation are now in effect.
 Montgomery County this week passed a couple of significant milestones in its battle against COVID-19 as now more than half of the County’s population has received at least one vaccine and more than one-third of all residents have been fully vaccinated.
Montgomery County restaurants and food service businesses are being reminded to “Skip the Straw” starting Saturday, May 1, in a new campaign by the County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). A bill proposed by County Executive Marc Elrich and approved by the County Council created a law that prohibits straws from being offered to dine-in customers, except upon request or to comply with Federal disability rights laws.
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 Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich was joined by members of the County Council, members of the Montgomery County Board of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Montgomery County Police Department on April 23 to announce the launch of an interagency partnership to address school safety and student well-being.
 A pilot program to deploy its first ever all-electric mowing team has been launched this season by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). The equipment produces zero emissions and is noticeably quieter than traditional gas-powered equipment.
More than 50 Montgomery County restaurants are participating in “MoCo Eats Week,” which will continue through Monday, May 3. Warm spring weather has contributed to an outstanding turnout for the opening days of the special week that was organized by Visit Montgomery and the County’s Department of Alcohol Beverage Services.
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 Montgomery County’s COVID-19 Information Portal provides a variety of breakdowns on how the virus has impacted the County. The statistics are updated to reflect the most recent reports during the health crisis. Among the information available is how many positive cases have been reported in each zip code in the County. New to the dashboard is how many vaccinations have been given by zip code.
 Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich will be among the speakers at the 2021 County Energy Summit, which will be held from Tuesday, May 4, through Thursday, May 6. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, the Summit will be held virtually.
 Nature on Wheels, a mobile nature center and science field station that will bring programming to parks throughout Montgomery County, will make its debut at several locations this weekend. The Montgomery Parks rolling exhibition will have naturalists available to answer questions and share information related to natural areas throughout the park system. In addition, several nature centers are getting ready to open.
 Brookside Gardens’ Conservatory in Wheaton has reopened, but Montgomery Parks, which operates the park, is canceling this year’s Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly and Caterpillar exhibits due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19.
 Montgomery County has announced the 13 winners of its Climate Change Art Contest. The contest encouraged community members of all ages to use artistic forms of expression to show the connections between climate change and daily lives.
 The Wheaton office of the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), which has contracted with Montgomery County to help promote small businesses in Wheaton, has launched the “Wheaton Small Business Spotlight Series” that will highlight the services—and the background stories—of hundreds of small operations of all types in the Wheaton area.
 A new program of assistance is now available from Maryland for small, minority-, veteran- or women-owned businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis. The Small, Minority and Women-Owned Business Account COVID-19 Relief Program offers up to $50,000 in paired loans and grants to eligible businesses.
“Business Development in Montgomery County” will be the theme from noon-1 p.m. on Friday, April 30, when Montgomery County’s COVID-19 Economic Revitalization and Recovery program continues its series of virtual town hall meetings to keep businesses informed on strategies for doing business as the health crisis continues.
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 Montgomery Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, on Thursday, May 6, will present plans for a proposed dog park at Norwood Local Park in Bethesda to the Montgomery Planning Board. The public is invited to comment or testify at the virtual meeting in writing or by email.
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