Gaithersburg Mask Mandate Still In Place For City Buildings

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Masks will still be required in buildings operated by the City of Gaithersburg, though the Montgomery County indoor mask mandate has been lifted. The city said they will keep the mandate in their buildings out of an abundance of caution.

City of Gaithersburg employees are required to wear masks when distance cannot be maintained from other people outside, or when in a vehicle with another employee. Employees that are inside by themselves and are not accessible to the public are not required to wear masks.

"Out of an abundance of caution and with the understanding that we live and work in a diverse region with varying levels of transmission across communities, the City will maintain its current masking and distancing policies in City facilities,” said City Manager Tanisha Briley in a statement. “Masking has proven very effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19. We will continue to do our part to reduce transmission with these requirements, and we encourage everyone to get vaccinated and to get booster doses if they qualify.”

The Montgomery County indoor mask mandate was lifted at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28. The county had moderate levels of transmission for seven days, the trigger for lifting the mandate that was reinstated in August.

Masks are still required in Montgomery County Public Schools, public transportation, and child care and health care settings. County Executive Marc Elrich thanked the county's residents for following the guidelines while they were in place.

"There's no secret sauce in Montgomery County" said Elrich during a meeting with reporters Wednesday. "We had a set of rules that kept people safe and people took those rule seriously."