Public hearing on Executive Order 122-20, COVID-19 Local Order, on Thursday, Nov. 5

For Immediate Release: Monday, November 2, 2020

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 2, 2020—The Montgomery County Council will introduce, hold a public hearing, and vote on the following Executive Order beginning at 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2020. The deadline to sign up to testify is Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m.

The Council is scheduled to act on a Resolution approving Executive Order No. 122-20, COVID-19 Local Order – Amending and Restating Order dated September 29, 2020 sitting as the County Council. If the Council approves the Executive Order, the Council, sitting as the Board of Health, is scheduled to introduce, hold a public hearing, and act on a Board of Health regulation adopting Executive Order No. 122-20, COVID-19 Local Order – Amending and Restating Order dated September 29, 2020 as a Board of Health Regulation. If adopted, Executive Order No. 122-20, COVID-19 Local Order – Amending and Restating Order dated September 29, 2020 would make the following changes to the prior orders with a proposed effective date of November 5, 2020, at 5 p.m.:

Child care 

• Capacity may not exceed 50 percent for child care centers.

Escape rooms

• Permitted to open with only six people per room or game.

Food service establishments

• Clarifies that, absent a Late Night Alcohol Sales Permit, food service establishments may not sell or provide alcohol to anyone after 10 p.m., and that all alcohol must be collected from patrons by 10 p.m.
  
• Adds language requiring collection of information to assist with contact tracing.
  
• Late Night Alcohol Sales Program
  
  • Opens the program to establishments that have not been cited or closed during the last 60 days for applications.
    
  • Clarifies automatic suspension language.
    
  • Amends the number of average days that trigger the suspension of the program from three days to seven days.

General housekeeping

• Updates State Executive Order numbers, County Executive Order numbers, dates, and references to other paragraphs in the Order.

Letter of approval section

• Provides deadlines by which to submit a request for a Letter of Approval and penalties for holding an event without a Letter of Approval.
  

Playgrounds

• Provides that playgrounds that cannot comply with the cleaning requirements as stated in the general operating requirements section must post notice that that the playground is not cleaned on an hourly basis.
  

Sports

• Removes flag football as a high-risk sport.
  
• Adds that a gathering size can exceed 50 people solely to accommodate the presence of one parent or guardian per child participant.
  
• Clarifies that for outdoor sports only parents guardians and immediate family are permitted to spectate.
  
• Adds that outdoor ice rinks would be permitted to open with size restrictions and after submitting a request for a Letter of Approval before reopening.

The proposed effective date would be November 5, 2020, at 5 p.m.

Documents and information will be available at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council.

NOTE: During the Covid-19 state of emergency, the public is not able to be physically present in the Council Hearing Room. Residents who would like to call in to testify at a Council public hearing need to preregister on the Council's web page at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/calendar.html . Once the public hearing sign up request form is submitted and the public hearing list is created, individuals will receive separate confirmation notifications that include the appropriate phone number to call for the public hearing.

Community members also have the option to provide audio, video and written testimony to the Council using a recently developed online testimony form on the Council's web page which can be found at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/PHSignUp.html. The testimony provided with the online option carries the same weight as testimony given at a public hearing. Councilmembers consider all comments as part of their deliberations.

Comments and suggestions are welcome online at http://tinyurl.com/zrbwh5v; via email at county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov; by sending regular mail to County Council, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850. For information or to express an opinion call 240-777-7900.

The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM) on Xfinity channels 6 and 996, RCN channels 6 and 1056; and FiOS channel 30. Also available live via streaming through the Council website at http://tinyurl.com/z9982v8, Facebook Live (@MontgomeryCountyMdCouncil or @ConcejodelCondadodeMontgomery), or YouTube (@MoCoCouncilMD).

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Release ID: 20-430
Media Contact: Anne Brown 240-777-7825