Montgomery Community Media

Montgomery County officials discussed balancing public health and economic interests Wednesday, as County Executive Marc Elrich proposes a return to indoor dining at 25% capacity. Elrich sent an executive order to the county council Tuesday in order to make the change. Indoor alcohol sales must stop at 10 p.m. and customers would be limited to […]

Montgomery County has received 61 requests from retail stores asking for approval to allow more than 150 customers, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Dr. Earl Stoddard said at a media briefing Tuesday. In the county, retail capacity is limited to one person per 200 square feet. Large retail stores that want to allow more […]

Three out of six hospitals in Montgomery County have no ICU vacancy as of noon Tuesday, County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles said at a county council meeting. Also as of noon, one hospital has no acute care bed vacancy, he said. Gayles said there was a period of time over the weekend when five […]

Montgomery County hospitals may have to accept patients from other jurisdictions if their capacity runs out, County Executive Marc Elrich said at a media briefing Wednesday. According to the county’s COVID-19 data dashboard, about 77% of hospital beds are occupied as of Wednesday, indicating a low risk of transmission. However, Elrich warned residents not to […]

Update (Nov. 23, 5:30 p.m.): Gov. Larry Hogan did not announce additional restrictions at his 4 p.m. press conference, however he said Maryland State Police will ramp up its COVID-19 compliance enforcement across the state. When asked about Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s call to go back to Phase 1 of reopening, Hogan said Elrich […]

Updated Post (Nov. 5): The Montgomery County Council said it will not vote on Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s executive order to reinstate some COVID-19 restrictions until next week. The changes will not go into effect Friday at 5 p.m. Original Post (Nov. 4): Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said it is time to reinstate […]

The state of Maryland updated its capacity restrictions for outdoor sports and entertainment venues. On Friday Gov. Larry Hogan and State Health Secretary Robert Neall issued orders saying outdoor sports venues can open to 10% capacity, including M&T Bank Stadium and FedExField. According to the Baltimore Ravens, M&T Bank Stadium has a capacity of 71,008 […]

Montgomery County is working on a COVID-19 vaccine dissemination plan with the state and other local jurisdictions.  There is currently no COVID-19 vaccine. Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles has warned residents to be wary of reports that a vaccine could arrive as early as October. CBS News reported that Pfizer and BioNTech may […]

The same day Gov. Larry Hogan proclaimed the start of Maryland’s first-ever Restaurant Week, he announced restaurants can increase indoor capacity from 50% to 75%.  Restaurants are allowed to make the change beginning Monday at 5 p.m., said a statement from the governor’s office Friday. Of course, they must follow health guidelines like physical distancing.  […]

Montgomery County leaders are working with local members of the faith community to potentially allow more capacity in places of worship. Under Phase 2 guidelines, religious facilities can have virtual, drive-in, and limited indoor and outdoor services with certain requirements. “We’re looking for ways that we can potentially allow the faith community to have some […]