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Indoor Mask Requirement, Montgomery County, Maryland

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Industry Observer with Retired

Indoor Mask Requirement, Montgomery County, Maryland

The Montgomery County Council Approves Board of Health Regulation to Reinstate Indoor Masking When the County is an Area of Substantial COVID-19 Transmission. The indoor mask mandate in public places begins on Aug. 7 at 12:01 a.m. More information: https://content.govdeliverycom/accounts/MDMONTGOMERY/bulletins/2eb7cb3?reqfrom=share/  

This is a Montgomery County, Maryland Public Health Message.

The Montgomery County Council, acting as the Board of Health, voted unanimously today to require that all residents, regardless of vaccination status, wear face coverings indoors once Montgomery County has become an area of “substantial transmission” of COVID-19. Last week, County Executive Marc Elrich and County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles recommended that the Council adopt a regulation mandating indoor masks when Montgomery County reaches “substantial transmission” of the COVID-19 virus. 

Dr. Gayles notified Council during today’s hearing that the County is now an area of substantial transmission. The Board of Health regulation mandating indoor masks will take effect Saturday, Aug. 7 at 12:01 a.m.      

On Tuesday, July 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), citing new data on the Delta variant, recommended that jurisdictions with substantial or high transmission rates of COVID-19 should require that masks be worn indoors. The CDC defines substantial transmission as 50-99 cases per 100,000 residents over a period of seven days. 

“The Delta variant is the dominant strain circulating,” said Dr. Gayles, “and even though we have a high rate of vaccination in our community, we now know that the Delta variant is very easy to spread. To protect those who are not eligible to be vaccinated, such as children under the age of 12, we need to take every measure we can to slow down the spread of the virus. Masks are an important first line of defense to keep community transmission low.”

"I appreciate the vote today by the Montgomery County Council, sitting as the Board of Health, supporting our public health recommendation to reinstate masking at indoor locations in accordance with CDC guidance," said County Executive Elrich. "The rise in cases has happened rapidly. A little over a month ago, our case rate per 100,000 residents was below one. Now it is at almost seven. If everyone were to get vaccinated, it would be a huge help to get control of this Delta variant. But in the absence of a higher vaccination rate in the community, masking is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus. We are implementing these protective measures now so we can prevent further spread so that we can keep businesses open and welcome our children back to school at the end of the month."

Eighty percent of the nation's 3,000 counties or 90 percent of the nation’s population are in the “substantial transmission” level, including many in the Washington metro region.  

Visit the COVID-19 website to view the Board of Health regulation and to find a definition of what constitutes a face covering—only wearing a plastic face shield does not satisfy the face covering mandate, nor does wearing a face covering with a valve. These examples have been shown to be ineffective at preventing the spread of the aerosol droplets that can cause COVID-19. Visit the dashboard to review the latest metrics and key indicators. The dashboard is updated daily by 2 p.m.

If you are not vaccinated, find free vaccination clinics at www.GoVAXMoCo.com. If you feel sick or think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, get tested. Find free testing clinics at www.MoCoCOVIDtesting.org

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website and follow Montgomery County on Facebook @MontgomeryCountyInfo and Twitter @MontgomeryCoMD.

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Posted by

Roy Kelley, Retired, Former Associate Broker, RE/MAX Realty Group

Gaithersburg, Maryland  

Comments (11)

Will Hamm
Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO
"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Good Morning Roy,  Looks like we are wearing more masks again in our area but not all places yet.

 

Aug 06, 2021 06:10 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Persons over the age of 2 years old must wear face coverings indoors at any location that is accessible to the public in Montgomery County, Maryland.

 

Aug 06, 2021 06:11 AM
Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

Oh gee, not again! Yes, we are seeing these notices in many different parts of the country again...I guess anything that can stop the spread of this awful virus!

Aug 06, 2021 06:24 AM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Roy, this is a set-back, and really dislike wearing them, but it probably is better than getting COVID.

Aug 06, 2021 07:09 AM
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND
Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

I am so glad that our State has banned mask mandates Roy Kelley . I will be avoiding any/all retailers who insist on wearing masks.

Aug 06, 2021 07:33 AM
Rocky Dickerson
Realty One Group - Las Vegas, NV
Superior Service!

Good morning Roy. It's a shame that due to the actions of the minority of the public, the majority of the public have to suffer.

Aug 06, 2021 07:59 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Good morning, Roy... what Rocky Dickerson said. I'm not worried about catching anything. Maybe the unvaccinated need to "pay a price."

Aug 06, 2021 08:03 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

I find it sad that we find ourselves at this place when we now have a vaccine.  I continue to wonder how many lives could have been saved had Covid not been seen as a political opportunity, rather than a public health issue.

I follow the Johns Hopkins Covid Map.  The numbers are frightening!

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map

Aug 06, 2021 02:38 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thank you very much for your comments. It is always good to hear from you.

Aug 09, 2021 06:17 AM