Mask Mandate Could Return To MOCO, Unless Board Of Health Changes Regulation

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — The county's mask mandate is scheduled to return on Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. since COVID-19 transmission is again at substantial levels in Montgomery County. James Bridgers, acting County health officer, announced the planned return over the weekend, just days after the county dropped the mask mandate while transmission was moderate.

The County Council — which votes as the Board of Health — said in its mandate in August that whenever the county reached substantial transmission the indoor mask rule will be reinstated. The Council could vote to amend the regulation. Council President Tom Hucker told reporters Monday that the council will vote on an amendment that would state the mask rule is only reinstated after seven consecutive days of substantial transmission. That vote will be at the council's meeting Tuesday.

"We all want to avoid the yoyo effect of rapidly requiring and repealing a mask mandate, which leads to a lot of public confusion," said Hucker.

If the amendment passes and the substantial level remains for seven days, the indoor mask order would not go into effect until next week to give people and businesses the time to prepare, Hucker said.

Transmission has been categorized as substantial since Friday, Oct. 29. Substantial transmission is defined as 50 to 100 cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period — 95 cases were reported Friday, 108 Saturday and 59 on Sunday, putting the county just above that substantial cut off.

Hospitalizations and deaths have remained low, with 5.5 percent of hospital beds in use in the county being filled by COVID-19 patients. More than 99 percent of eligible Montgomery County residents have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The mandate was lifted last Thursday, following seven consecutive days of moderate transmission. That decision did not change the masking requirement in Montgomery County Public Schools or on public transportation, where masks are still required. The City of Gaithersburg said it would still be requiring masks in city-run buildings.

This story has been updated to include information from Council President Tom Hucker's media briefing.