County Hits 20,281 Cases; Elrich To Review Hogan's Phase 3 Order

SILVER SPRING, MD — Montgomery County registered 91 new coronavirus cases and zero new deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the Maryland Department of Health.

Thursday's update brings the countywide total to 20,281 infections and 782 fatalities. Another 39 may have died from COVID-19 — the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus — but a laboratory test is still needed to confirm the cause of death.

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 26,565, according to the latest figures.

Statewide, there have been 110,012 confirmed cases, 3,634 deaths, and 144 "probable deaths." Of the 382 people currently hospitalized, 112 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

On Tuesday, Gov. Larry Hogan announced that the state will be entering the third and final stage of its coronavirus recovery plan. Starting Friday at 5 p.m., all Maryland businesses can reopen — unless the counties in which they operate decide to opt out of phase three.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said he was disappointed that the state was moving into phase three, adding that the county should remain in phase two until further notice.

"I am a bit disappointed in the approach that Maryland is taking in going directly into phase three. I guess I'm disappointed because none of the elected officials in the state got consulted on this. Nobody asked us what do you know, what do you think, what are you hearing, what are you experiencing — and neither were the health officials," Elrich said. "We are going into an area that is not being guided, in my perspective and from other people's perspective, by medical approach — but more guided by the desire to reopen businesses."

Elrich said that he understands the desire to reopen businesses but doesn't "want the tax revenue if the price to be paid is more sick people and more fatalities in our community."

"It is not worth it if you can't do it safely," he said.

Elrich did not give a timeline for phase three, but said he would review Hogan's orders over the next couple days to see what modifications could be made for the county in phase two.