One Year Later: A Pandemic Timeline in Montgomery County

On March 5, 2020, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the first three official COVID-19 cases in the state — all in Montgomery County. As of March 5, 2021, Montgomery County has reported 63,796 cases and 1,379 deaths.

The following is a timeline of events and stories related to the pandemic, beginning in January 2020:

• On Jan, 28, 2020, MyMCM reported that county officials participated in several informational conference calls with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) to learn all they can about the coronavirus.
• On Feb. 7, MyMCM reported that Gaithersburg-based Novavax was joining the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
• On March 3, the county council received its first COVID-19 briefing from County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles. The council has been receiving the briefings most weeks ever since.
• On March 5, Gov. Larry Hogan announced the first three official COVID-19 cases in Maryland— in Montgomery County. He declared a state of emergency, which Maryland is still under today. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) said schools would remain open following Hogan’s announcement.
• On March 8, Hogan announced two more COVID-19 cases: one in Montgomery County and one in Harford County.
• On March 12, Hogan announced that all public schools in Maryland would be closed for two weeks.
• On March 16, Hogan announced an executive order to close all bars, restaurants, movie theaters and gyms in the state.
• On March 17, Hogan postponed the April 28 primary election to June 2.
• On March 18, MyMCM reported that restaurants could begin selling beer and wine for carryout and delivery in Montgomery County.
• On March 18, Hogan announced the first coronavirus-related death in Maryland. The patient was a Prince George’s County resident in his 60s “who suffered from an underlying medical condition.”
• On March 19, Hogan ordered shopping malls to close and gatherings to be limited to 10 or fewer people.
• On March 20, Hogan said the first cases of COVID-19 in an infant and teenager in Maryland were confirmed.
• On March 23, Hogan ordered all nonessential businesses to close.
• On March 24, Councilmember Evan Glass shared that that Montgomery County’s Alcohol and Beverage Services would allow licensed restaurants to sell cocktails in takeout cups with lids. Restaurants are allowed to deliver beer, wine and cocktails, along with a meal, as long as they use their own staff.
• On March 25, State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon announced all Maryland public schools would be closed for an additional four weeks until April 24.
• On March 27, a Charles County man was arrested and charged with failure to comply with an emergency order after he hosted 60 people for a bonfire.
• On March 30, Hogan announced a Stay at Home order for Marylanders.
• On May 6, Hogan and Salmon announced that public schools would remain closed for the remainder of the academic 2019-2020 school year. Montgomery County Recreation facilities were closed until further notice.
• On May 28, County Executive Marc Elrich announced Phase 1 of Montgomery County’s COVID-19 reopening plan amid a swarm of hecklers. 
• On June 1, Montgomery County entered Phase 1 of its COVID-19 reopening. This allowed restaurants to offer outdoor seating with restrictions, including maintaining social distancing between patrons.
• One June 19, Montgomery County entered Phase 2 of reopening. Phase 2 reopening included indoor retail services and restaurant seating, childcare services and more.
• On July 31, Montgomery County was launched into a week-long back and forth with the state when Dr. Gayles issued an order for private schools to remain virtual until at least Oct. 1. Hogan strongly disapproved and issued an amended emergency order to make it clear that Montgomery County did not have the authority to make a blanket closure order for nonpublic schools. Gayles ultimately withdrew his directive one week later on Aug. 7.
• On Sept. 4, most Maryland counties entered Phase 3 of reopening. Montgomery, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties and Baltimore City remained in Phase 2. Montgomery County announced that evening venues like indoor and outdoor restaurants could offer live performances along with dining.
• On Sept. 18, Hogan announced restaurants could increase indoor capacity from 50% to 75%. Under Phase 2 in Montgomery County, restaurants were allowed to operate at 50% capacity.
• In December, COVID-19 vaccines began arriving in Maryland, including in Montgomery County. On March 3, 2021, Elrich said about 161,000 county residents had received their first dose and about 80,000 received their second dose.
• On Dec. 15, the council voted unanimously to suspend indoor dining. Dr. Gayles said projections showed that closing restaurants and bars could potentially lead to a 20-30% reduction in hospital utilization.
• On Feb. 9, 2021 the MCPS Board of Education voted unanimously to return students to the classroom beginning with small groups of the most vulnerable students on March 1 and continuing through April 26 at the latest for seventh and 10th graders.
• On Feb. 14, indoor dining resumed at 25% capacity.
• On March 1, some MCPS students attended school in-person for the first time since March 13, 2020. Students in specific career technology education (CTE) and specific special education programs began phasing back into school buildings.
• On March 5, Elrich delivered his annual State of the County Address. He focused his speech on the COVID-19 pandemic’s past and future.

About Maryam Shahzad

Maryam is a reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. Previously, she was an intern with MCM. She can be reached at mshahzad@mymcmedia.org or on Twitter @maryam_mcm.

View all posts by Maryam Shahzad