For Immediate Release: Friday, February 28, 2020
Meeting to discuss county’s efforts to ensure health and safety of all residents
ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 27, 2020—Monday, March 2 at 9:30 a.m., the Council’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee will receive a briefing from Dr. Travis Gayles, health officer and chief of public health services in the Department of Health and Human Services, and Earl Stoddard, director of the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, to obtain updated information on the coronavirus (COVID-19) and to discuss the County’s efforts to ensure the health and safety of all residents. The meeting will take place at the Council Office Building (100 Maryland., Ave.) in Rockville in the seventh floor hearing room. Montgomery County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz serves as chair of the HHS Committee along with Councilmember Evan Glass, who is the Lead for Homelessness and Vulnerable Communities, and Councilmember Craig Rice.
“Montgomery County leaders are closely monitoring the ongoing developments with the coronavirus,” said Councilmember Albornoz. “Right now, our main priorities are to keep our residents safe and healthy and equip them with the most-up-to-date information surrounding this disease. Our county currently has no reported cases of the coronavirus, however, our public health officials and providers are taking this outbreak seriously. We remain vigilant and are focused on disease prevention and public education efforts.”
Dr. Gayles will provide an update on Montgomery County’s efforts to closely monitor the health impacts of the coronavirus, which started in Wuhan, China and has spread to other international locations including the United States. He also will discuss prevention methods and symptoms of the coronavirus.
Director Stoddard will explain the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security’s role in state and local readiness efforts and the overall communications structure for public health issues.
Maryland currently has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus. As of Feb. 26 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 14 cases of the disease in the U.S., with 12 cases being travel related and two cases being contracted from person-to-person contact. In contrast, for the week ending Feb. 15, cases of the flu have been reported as being high and widespread across Maryland.
To learn more about the coronavirus visit https://montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS/RightNav/Coronavirus.html or www.cdc.gov/COVID19 .
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Release ID: 20-069