Indoor Mask Mandate Will Only Return After 7 Consecutive Days Of Substantial Spread: Board

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — The indoor mask mandate will not return to Montgomery County on Wednesday, as previously scheduled. The County Council — sitting as the Board of Health — voted to amend the mandate so that it would only be reinstated if there are seven consecutive days of substantial spread.

The mandate was lifted on Thursday after Montgomery County saw seven consecutive days of moderate spread, which the council had stipulated in August would be the trigger for ending the indoor masking requirement. On Friday, the county's transmission level was back up to substantial.

Council President Tom Hucker told reporters on Monday that the point of the amendment was to prevent a constant back and forth as county COVID-19 case counts change slightly.

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

The council voted unanimously to amend the mandate, creating the seven-day rule for returning the mask mandate.

"It's really important to have some sense of stability — to provide a level of communication for the health officer and for us to make sure that the public, and our residents and businesses are aware what the rules are so that we can follow them," said Councilmember Andrew Friedson at the council meeting.

Councilmember Craig Rice noted that some people in the county have been unhappy with what may seem like conservative decisions when it comes to masking.

"The reality is is what we're trying to do is keep all of our residents safe," said Rice of having mask mandates and encouraging vaccinations.