County Extends Stay-At-Home Order For Residents Indefinitely

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich on Friday signed an executive order to extend the county's stay-at-home restrictions until certain coronavirus benchmarks are met.

The Democrat didn't set a date for reopening, saying the county needs to focus less on a specific date and more on what needs to be done to reopen safely.

For Elrich to lift his coronavirus restrictions, the county must see:

• A consistent decline over a 14-day period in new cases as more testing is conducted
• A sustained decrease in the number of daily deaths
• A downward trend in hospitalizations rates (and ICU beds in use)
• A sustained decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients going to the ER

"This is what we need to protect the health of our residents," Elrich said. "We all understand that we cannot risk undoing the progress we have made to slow the spread."

On Friday night, Gov. Larry Hogan lifted the state's stay-at-home order and initiated phase one of his Maryland Strong Roadmap to Recovery plan.

Under phase one, barbershops and hair salons, retail stores, and houses of worship can reopen at 50 percent capacity, given people follow social distancing rules and wear masks.

The Republican governor acknowledged that some parts of the state, like Montgomery and Prince George's counties, were not ready to reopen. That's why he's letting local jurisdictions decide when they want to lift coronavirus restrictions.

"The Governor gave local jurisdictions authority to act in the best interest of our area. That is what we are doing, just as Prince George's County and other neighboring jurisdictions are as well," Elrich said.

In Montgomery County, the state's most populous jurisdiction, there are now 423 deaths and 7,988 confirmed cases.

The county continues to have the highest number of deaths in the state. It also has the second highest number of confirmed cases, after Prince George's County, which has 11,031.

In a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19, Elrich is reminding residents to:

• Only go out for essential travel and permitted exercise
• Stay at least six feet away from people who aren't in the same household
• Never congregate in groups of more than 10 people
• Wear a face covering when going out in public
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water

Elrich's executive order can be found here.

SEE ALSO:

• What MD's Reopening Plan Means For Montgomery County
• Coronavirus Hotline To Help Those Without Primary Care Provider
• Montgomery County Cancels Summer Camp Over Coronavirus
• 65,805 New Unemployment Claims Tallied In MD Amid Coronavirus