Ahead Of Thanksgiving, County Adds 213 New COVID-19 Cases

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County added more than 200 cases for the 15th day this month on Monday, as health officials renewed their pleas for people to stay home over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Health officials recorded 213 new COVID-19 cases as of Monday morning, pushing the countywide total to 31,389 infections.

Citing contact tracing data, County Executive Marc Elrich (D) said social gatherings are driving coronavirus outbreaks across the region — and that for the sake of others, residents should not be having large gatherings at Thanksgiving.

"We have hard choices to make because these holidays are coming up and they have been major points of getting together with our families," Elrich said, adding that the safest options for the holiday is celebrating with people virtually or with those who live in their household. "We are basically asking people not to do it — not to have more than 10 people in your house; not to bring people in (like) your family, cousins, aunts, uncles, and best friends; (not) to have big feasts together. Because those are cited among the leading cause of the spread of the coronavirus."

Montgomery County is one of the state's hardest hit jurisdictions by COVID-19. It has the second highest number of confirmed cases, after Prince George's County, which has 38,985, according to the latest figures.

It also has the highest number of deaths in the state.

On Monday, the county added one new death tied to COVID-19, pushing its death toll to 890.

Another 42 people, health officials believe, had the disease but died before ever getting tested. "Probable deaths" aren't included in the official fatality count until they are confirmed by a laboratory test.

Across Maryland, there have been 183,797 cases, 4,293 confirmed deaths, and 155 "probable deaths." Of the 1,276 people that are currently hospitalized, 289 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

If you plan on celebrating Thanksgiving with people outside your household, health officials recommend you consider the following guidance:

Before You Go

• Consider the level of COVID-19 in the community where you will be celebrating
• Consider how many people are attending a gathering and where attendees are coming from
  • The smaller the gathering the better
  • Ask yourself if guests are practicing social distancing and mask wearing every day
• Do not attend or host a gathering if you or anyone in your household:
  • Has COVID-19 symptoms
  • Is waiting for COVID-19 test results
  • May have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days
  • Is at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19
• Get your flu vaccine

Preventative Measures

• If you're hosting a gathering, consider asking attendees to get tested beforehand
• Indoor gatherings are typically riskier than outdoor gatherings
  • Indoor gatherings with poor ventilation pose more risk than those with good ventilation (i.e., open doors and windows)
  • The longer the gathering, the riskier it is
• The more preventive measures you implement at gatherings (i.e., mask wearing, social distancing, and hand washing) the better
  • Ensure that guests understand and agree to those expectations

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