Maryland Department of Health reports potential COVID-19 exposure risk at The Village at Rockville

For Immediate Release: Friday, March 6, 2020

For Immediate Release: Friday, March 6, 2020

Tonight, Governor Larry Hogan and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) announced that one of the three cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19, attended a gathering at The Villages at Rockville on Friday, February 28, 2020.  It appears that the time period of risk of exposure was between noon and 6 p.m. MDH has indicated that those who may have attended this event or visited The Villages at Rockville, may be at some risk for acquiring COVID-19.  MDH recommends that anyone who attended the event monitor themselves for symptoms of a respiratory infection including fever, cold-like symptoms, cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.  This monitoring should continue until March 13, 2020.

MDH is recommending that anyone who attended this event should check their temperature twice a day and notify their healthcare provider and local health department if their temperature is greater than 100.4 degrees and/or if you develop a respiratory illness.   In addition, you should remain at home until you receive instructions about next steps from your health care provider or local health department.

If you have questions, MDH is encouraging people to call the Maryland Emergency Management Agency call center at 410-517-3720. The call center will be open until midnight tonight and from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The Montgomery County Health Department is working closely with MDH do address this matter.  We want to continue to remind people to:

• Avoid interaction with people who are sick/ill
• If you are sick, please stay at home
• Do not travel if you are sick/ill
• Wash your hands often with soap and water
• Use an alcohol-based sanitizer if soap and water is not available
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when coughing or sneezing

Montgomery County has been preparing for this possibility since January. Frontline staff is trained, dedicated, and working hard to ensure that information for the public in a timely manner. The information that is shared is factual, thoughtful and comprehensively addresses the concerns that people may have.  We will continue to keep you update and we encourage you to go to the county website for additional information at montgomerycountymd.gov.

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Release ID: 20-073
Media Contact: Barry Hudson 240-777-6528