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Montgomery County has officially moved into the second-to-last phase of the metrics-based reopening approach tied to vaccination levels, which are steadily rising and have picked up in the last week with the expansion of vaccine eligibility to 12- to 15-year-olds. The County will rescind all County public health restrictions as of 6 a.m. on May 28, when 50 percent of the County's population will be fully vaccinated.
The County Council, acting today as the Board of Health, also amended the County's health regulation to put County mask guidance in-line with that of the CDC and Maryland Department of Health (MDH), which both announced significant changes to their policies late last week. Here's what you need to know:
Changes effective now pursuant to reaching 60 percent of the population with at least one vaccine dose:
- Removal of capacity restriction for outdoor events;
- Increase of capacity restriction to 250 people for indoor events;
- Increase of capacity at most businesses to 75 percent;
- Summer camps must follow MDH guidance and campers from outside the region are permitted to attend;
- Removal of capacity restriction for outdoor graduation ceremonies.
Changes effective today consistent with new CDC and MDH guidance on face coverings:
- Removal of requirement to wear a face covering when outdoors;
- Removal of requirement for fully vaccinated individuals to wear a face covering indoors, except as required by MDH on public transit or in schools or childcare settings;
- Private businesses and workplaces are permitted to put in-place their own face covering policies and requirements.
Changes effective as of May 28 at 6 a.m. pursuant to reaching 50 percent of the population fully vaccinated:
- All County restrictions on capacity, activities, or business operations are rescinded.
This important progress comes thanks to the significant sacrifices made over the past year to keep yourselves, loved ones, and friends safe as well as how our community has stepped up to get vaccinated. As of Monday, about 9,500 of the County's 40,000 residents age 12 to 15 received a first shot of the Pfizer vaccine in just four days following last week’s federal approval. Meanwhile, the County's seven-day average of COVID cases per 100,000 residents is 3.51 and 14-day test positivity rate is 1.37 percent, the fourth lowest such rates in the nation for jurisdictions larger than 800,000 residents.
Despite all of this good news, there's much more work to do. Many of our residents remain unvaccinated. Please spread the word: The vaccines are effective, safe, and have never been easier to access by signing-up or simply walking-up to a vaccination site. As we approach a closer-to-normal situation, we also continue to assist individuals and businesses hard-hit by the pandemic. None of this work will stop May 28 and we'll have much more to say in the coming weeks on those continued efforts.
For now, thank you for stepping up and doing your part, and please continue to be safe.
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