 Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich explains how the County on Friday, May 28, will move to the next phase of reopening from the COVID-19 health crisis now that more than 60 percent of County residents have received at least one vaccine and more than 50 percent have been fully vaccinated. He also offers his thoughts on changes that have been made—and more that need to be made—resulting from the death of George Floyd one year ago. He also reflects on the 2022 County operating budget, which was approved by the County Council.
 Montgomery County’s progress in getting residents to receive COVID-19 vaccines will put new guidelines into effect starting at 6 a.m. on Friday, May 28. The new guidelines will be implemented as a result of agreements made between the County Council and County Executive Marc Elrich, based on consultations with County health officials.
 Daily new cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19 continued a downward trend in Montgomery County as more than 650,000 County residents (61.9 percent of the overall population) have received at least one dose of vaccine according to State statistics released this morning, Thursday, May 27. More than 539,000 (51.3 percent) are fully vaccinated.
 The Montgomery County Government will observe schedule changes for the Memorial Day holiday, which will be observed on Monday, May 31.
The Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs is honoring many “Fallen Heroes” with County connections dating back to World War I with detailed tributes displayed on a special website created by the commission. The tributes are especially notable as the County prepares to commemorate Memorial Day on Monday, May 31.
 The effort to administer COVID-19 vaccines and end the health crisis has made significant strides as more residents have become vaccinated. To reward those who have been vaccinated, and encourage others to get vaccinations, the State of Maryland is giving out awards to vaccinated individuals each day between now and July 4, with a major prize of $400,000 being awarded on Independence Day.
 Montgomery County Public Libraries will reopen six branches on Tuesday, June 1, and an additional seven branches on June 14.
As Montgomery County warms up to encouraging vaccination numbers and its lowest COVID-19 positivity statistics since the health crisis began, the latest episode of the “What’s Happening MoCo” podcast introduces the redefinition of the “new normal.” Jerome Fletcher, one of the County’s assistant chief administrative officers, will provide details of the updated County restrictions starting Friday, May 28, and the continuation of economic recovery efforts. The new episode of What’s Happening MoCo is now available.
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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 and how many vaccinations have been given by zip code.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has submitted a letter to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) requesting that the White Flint Metro Station be renamed the “North Bethesda Metro Station.”
Haben Girma, recipient of the Helen Keller Achievement Award for her tireless advocacy for people with disabilities, will participate in Montgomery County Public Libraries’ (MCPL) virtual “Contemporary Conversations” series at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 5. She will discuss “Conquering Harvard Law and Becoming a Disability and Human Rights Advocate.”
 Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) and the Montgomery County Police Department have announced the high school and middle school winners of the 2020-21 “Keeping it Safe Coalition” (KIS) student video contest. The annual contest encourages teams from Montgomery County public and private schools to create 30-second public service announcements to educate young people about the risks of under 21 alcohol use.
 Montgomery County's celebration of its 22nd Annual Recycling Awareness Week from May 24-28 will include the County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recognizing outstanding achievements in waste reduction, reuse and recycling.
As residents take on spring cleaning, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is reminding everyone to be mindful of what they throw into the trash as certain items can cause trash fires.
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