Montgomery County Reopens Indoor Dining at 25 Percent Beginning Feb. 14; County Council Approves Executive Order 19-21AM

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, after consultation with County Health Officer Travis Gayles and based on data, has issued Executive Order 19-21AM that will reopen indoor dining at 25 percent capacity effective Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021 at 7 a.m. Under this Executive Order, indoor dining would be limited to a 90-minute dining period and alcohol sales will be suspended at 10 p.m. The executive order was approved today, Feb. 9, by the County Council.

“I understand how tough these times have been on our restaurants and their employees,” said County Executive Elrich.  “Our case count, test positivity rate and cases per 100,000 have been trending in the right direction. Consequently, we are taking a cautious reopening stance where we attempt to balance the opportunity for some indoor dining with the need to continue to protect the public health.”

The Executive Order maintains the following requirements:

• All persons in the County over the age of two (2) years must wear a face covering when on public transportation, in retail stores and religious facilities, fitness centers, gaming facilities, indoor recreation establishments, and personal services establishments.
• Outdoor gatherings of more than 25 people continue to be prohibited at all locations and venues.
• Capacity is reduced to a maximum of 25 percent for:
  • Fitness centers;
  • Food service establishments (indoors);
  • Museums and art galleries;
  • Retail establishments; and
  • Religious facilities.
• Capacity is reduced to 25 percent or 25 people—whichever is lower—for bowling venues and for personal services establishments (including hair salons, barbershops, massage and nail salons).
• Childcare programs must continue to operate at Phase 2 levels currently in effect for providers in Montgomery County.
• Outdoor playgrounds are exempt from hourly cleaning requirements, as defined in the general operating requirements. 
• Only the play of low-risk and medium-risk sports is permitted.
• The play of high-risk sports is prohibited, however no-contact skills-building and drills are permitted.

For a full list of Businesses, Organizations, Establishments, and Facilities that may be open, please see Executive Order 19-21AM.

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

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Release ID: 21-099
Media Contact: Mary Anderson 240-777-6507
Categories: COVID-19