Indoor Mask Mandate Extended In Prince George's County

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The Prince George’s County Council voted unanimously Monday to extend its current COVID-19 restrictions, including the county’s indoor mask mandate, until early 2022. This became the 15th extension of the county’s emergency declaration related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The indoor mask mandate, which requires everyone age 2 and older to wear a mask in public indoor settings regardless of their vaccination status, is a part of the resolution.

The current resolution was set to expire Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. It has now been extended until Jan. 23. The council’s vote was 9-0.

Prince George’s County has seen a slight uptick in new coronavirus cases in the past few weeks, with officials reporting 550 new cases for the week ending Nov. 20, a 9.8 percent change. Average weekly hospitalized COVID cases for the week ending Nov. 27 hovers at 80, a 37.9 percent change. As of Nov. 30, there are 101,906 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

County Health Officer Dr. Ernest Carter has emphasized the importance of residents adhering to mitigation strategies, such as wearing masks, avoiding crowds and getting vaccinated or booster shots.

Prince George’s has had an indoor mask mandate in place since early August.