Just one day after the indoor mask requirement was lifted in Montgomery County, the “number of cases per 100,000 residents in the last 7 days” has reached 50 again, putting the county back in the “Substantial Transmission” threshold.
We spoke with Montgomery County’s Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Earl Stoddard, who told us that “Board of Health Order 19-975 mandates that Dr. Bridgers, the acting Health Officer, provide official notice if the County proceeds into substantial transmission and set a timeline for the mask requirement.”
Stoddard wrote “Based on the numbers from the Maryland Department of Health today, we believe we have reached that threshold.”
“Dr. Bridgers will await confirmation from the CDC data tracker, likely to come tomorrow.
As was done with the original return of the face covering requirement, Dr. Bridgers intends to provide several days of notice for businesses and residents to become aware of the re-instatement of the requirement.
Based on conversations with them, we anticipate that the Board of Health will convene Tuesday to review this.”
Montgomery County’s Covid Dashboard can be seen here.
MCPS has released a community message clarifying the status of indoor mask requirements in public schools.
Earlier today, it was announced that Montgomery County would be lifting its indoor mask requirement at 12:01am on Thursday, October 28th.
The full message can be seen below.
“Dear Montgomery County Public Schools Community,
Montgomery County is lifting its indoor mask mandate at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 28; however, there have been no changes to the masking policies in place in Montgomery County Public Schools.
All MCPS students, staff and visitors are required to wear face coverings in school buildings and offices, regardless of vaccination status. This decision aligns with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as local health officials. Additionally, students and staff are required to wear masks on school buses. Face coverings are not required outdoors, but are strongly recommended for unvaccinated individuals.
Thank you for your commitment to the health and safety of our students and staff.
Montgomery County Public Schools”
Effective Thursday, Oct. 28 at 12:01 a.m., Montgomery County will suspend its mandate requiring masks or face coverings indoors in locations accessible to the public.
Dr. James Bridgers, acting County health officer announced today that the County achieved seven consecutive days of moderate transmission of COVID-19.
The guidelines for suspending the mandate are outlined in the Board of Health regulation 19-975 that was adopted on Aug. 5. If the County’s rate of transmission increases to substantial transmission, the indoor mask mandate will be reinstated.
Despite the mandate being lifted, businesses and other organizations can continue to require customers or visitors to wear a mask in their establishments.
The County is strongly recommending that all staff and visitors in County Government offices and facilities continue to wear a mask/face covering in publicly accessible areas. The lifting of the indoor mandate from the Board of Health does not impact mask requirements in Montgomery County Public Schools. The Maryland State Department of Education sets policy for public schools.
“The lifting of our indoor mask mandate is a significant achievement for Montgomery County and its residents,” said County Executive Marc Elrich.
“We got here because the people and businesses of this County accepted and adhered to the guidance we provided. Even though the mandate has been lifted, I will continue to wear a mask indoors and while in crowded outdoor settings because wearing a mask, as well as being fully vaccinated, are the best ways to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19.”
The CDC also recommends that individuals who are unvaccinated should continue to wear mask or face covering when indoors or in crowded areas to minimize the potential spread of the virus.
Montgomery County is in moderate transmission for the fifth consecutive day. 7 consecutive days are required for indoor face covering requirement to end.
Per the Montgomery County government website, “Montgomery County’s indoor face covering requirement was reinstated because the County reached “substantial transmission” level. It will end when the County returns to a “moderate transmission” status for 7 consecutive days. See the County’s COVID-19 data.”
If the indicator status remains at moderate transmission, or lower, for two more consecutive days, then the indoor face covering requirement will end.
This does not, however, mean that students and teachers will not have to wear face coverings at school as MCPS will have to make their own decision on the issue.
