Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich Announces Phase 2 Reopening Date

For Immediate Release: Monday, June 15, 2020

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles today announced the County has achieved its benchmarks and will officially enter Phase 2 of reopening on Friday, June 19 at 5 p.m.

The County plans to continue with an incremental reopening, based on public health data. Phase 2 allows additional businesses and activities to start and/or increase modified operations under specified guidelines. The guidelines include:   

• Retail - curbside and limited in-store; one patron per 200 sq. ft. of sales space;
• Restaurants - outdoor/patio seating and limited indoor dining with requirements; up to 50 percent capacity maximum indoors if social distancing can be maintained;
• Childcare – Maryland State Department of Education allows all child care programs to reopen with recommended health and safety precautions and social distancing measures;
• Gyms - fitness centers, and other indoor physical activities; open with requirements; one patron per 200 sq. ft. of fitness space;
• Houses of Worship - virtual, drive-in, and limited indoor and outdoor services with requirements - one congregant/family unit per 200 sq. ft. of service space;
• Indoor and Outdoor Gatherings - limited to a maximum of 50 or one person/family unit per 200 sq. ft., whichever is lower
• Salons/Barbers/Nails - all personal services allowed by appointment only; one patron per 200 sq. ft. of service delivery space;
• Car Washes - open for internal and external cleaning with requirements;
• Office Spaces and Multi-tenant Commercial Buildings - limited use for nonessential personnel with requirements; telework strongly encouraged where applicable;
• Indoor and Outdoor pools (public and private) – open with capacity restrictions;
• Outdoor Day Camps - expanded opening with requirements;
• Outdoor Youth Sports - expanded for low-contact sports with requirements;
• Parks & Playgrounds - parks open for personal fitness and fitness classes with requirements; playgrounds open with requirements; only low-contact sports allowed; and
• Ride On Bus Service - expanded schedule; expanded routes.

Certain outdoor recreation activities and facilities are already permitted: golf courses, archery, shooting ranges, marinas, campgrounds, horseback riding facilities and tennis courts.

The following businesses and services will remain closed in Phase 2:

• Concerts and theaters;
• Senior centers;
• Libraries; and
• Recreation facilities.

Protective measures such as maintaining physical distancing, careful cleaning and disinfecting, and face coverings being worn by employees and customers, are just some of the measures being required of businesses that are in this second phase of recovery. 

Activities allowed in this phase of reopening are based on metrics the County established with progress overall in decreasing daily numbers of new cases, increasing testing capacity, implementing a large-scale contact tracing effort with the State, decreasing hospitalizations and use of the emergency room by patients with COVID-19 related symptoms, and positive trends in the death rate and test positivity. The COVID-19 Data Dashboard can be viewed on the County's website. 

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website as well as the County’s data dashboard or follow Montgomery County on Facebook @MontgomeryCountyInfo and Twitter @MontgomeryCountyMD. 

Put the “count” in Montgomery County! Be sure to complete the Census online, by phone, or by mail. It’s safe, confidential, easy, and important. #2020Census #EveryoneCountsMCMD 

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Release ID: 20-319
Media Contact: Barry Hudson 240-300-7348