With COVID-19 Cases Rising Again, County Recommends Precautionary Measures to Protect Against Greater Community Spread of Virus

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 17, 2022

With the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the County and region, Montgomery County officials are offering precautionary recommendations to prevent further community spread of the virus. The increase in transmission, both within the County and in other jurisdictions around the National Capitol Region, has outpaced the rise in other parts of Maryland.

“Our current surge in cases is lasting longer than expected, which leaves more people at-risk of being exposed to COVID-19,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “I encourage everyone to wear masks indoors in public spaces when possible as well as continue to use our ample testing and vaccination resources we have in the County. I know we are all tired of this virus, but the virus is not tired of us. If we keep doing our individual parts, as a community, we can tamp down this increase in the case rate and avoid going back to days of more restrictive measures.”

The County’s COVID-19 case rate has risen steadily over the last month and is now more than triple the recent low on March 15. Although the County is currently an area of low-level community transmission as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the case rate is quickly approaching medium-level community transmission. While there has not been a commensurate increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the County, there is concern about the impact that spring break travel and holiday gatherings may have on transmission.

Based on the advice of Acting Health Officer Dr. James Bridgers, it is strongly recommended that persons in Montgomery County voluntarily engage in the following precautionary measures to slow transmission, protect our most vulnerable populations, and keep hospitalizations down:

• use of a well-fitting face covering during visits to congregate places and indoor spaces with limited social distancing;
• use of testing and test-to-treat antiviral medication after returning from travel or gatherings; and
• staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster-shots.

Even with the end of the indoor mask mandate in February, County health officials continued to strongly encourage the use of masks indoors as a method to reduce the risk of transmission. Businesses and other organizations can continue to require customers or visitors to wear a mask in their establishments. The County continues to strongly recommend that front-facing staff, who have not received their booster, and visitors in County Government offices and facilities continue to wear a mask/face covering in publicly accessible areas. The CDC also recommends that individuals who are unvaccinated should continue to wear mask or face covering when indoors or in crowded areas to minimize the potential spread of the virus.

Visit the County’s COVID-19 data dashboard to review the latest metrics and key indicators. Find additional information on masks and transmission levels on the COVID-19 website.

If you are not vaccinated, find free vaccination clinics at www.GoVAXMoCo.com.  If you feel sick or think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, get tested. Find free testing clinics at www.MoCoCOVIDtesting.org.

For the latest COVID-19 updates you can also follow Montgomery County on Facebook @MontgomeryCountyInfo and Twitter @MontgomeryCoMD.

# # #

Release ID: 22-292
Media Contact: Barry Hudson 240-300-7348
Categories: COVID-19