For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 25, 2022
The Montgomery County Council met as the Board of Health on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022 and enacted a Second Amended Board of Health Regulation to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19. The updated regulation extends indoor masking guidance in public spaces in Montgomery County until Feb. 21, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.
The Council, sitting as the Board of Health, will meet weekly with the County's public health officer to see if the indoor masking guidance should be terminated earlier. The public health officer must provide the Board of Health with the levels of the following three indicators in the County and the trend of these indicators for seven consecutive days: the number of cases per 100,000 residents; the test positivity rate; and the COVID-related hospital bed utilization case rate. In addition, the regulation will terminate on Feb. 21 without any further action by the Board of Health.
The COVID-19 omicron variant has pushed Montgomery County and other areas of the country into an extended period of high COVID-19 transmission. As of Jan. 25, Montgomery County’s transmission rate is 9.1 percent and the County has recorded 579.8 cases per 100,000 residents during the past seven days.
“We know that getting vaccinated, boosted and wearing masks are the most important public health measures we can take to help contain the ever-evolving COVID-19 virus,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz, who also serves as chair of the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee. “We appreciate the ongoing efforts of our residents and public health team.
“By continuing to work together, we are hopeful that we will contain this latest surge in cases next month. Until then, we must continue the tried and true protections that we know help to limit community spread. These steps help protect our most vulnerable residents as well as our first responders, medical personnel and essential workers who continue to keep our community moving.”
The updated, amended regulation becomes effective on Jan. 26 at 12 a.m.
Students are still required to wear face coverings in schools based on requirements from the Maryland State Department of Education. Moreover, face coverings are still required on public transportation as required by the Transportation Security Administration.
The updated Board of health regulation can be viewed here. The Council staff report on today's Council deliberations can be viewed here.
Release ID: 22-032