The County Council yesterday voted unanimously to amend the county Board of Health regulation to require seven consecutive days of substantial COVID-19 transmission in Montgomery County before an indoor mask mandate is reinstated.
Dr. James Bridgers, the county’s acting health officer, told the County Council on Saturday that the county had returned to “substantial transmission” of COVID-19, triggering the requirement to reinstate an indoor mask mandate under the latest Board of Health regulation.
The county’s COVID–19 indoor mask mandate has been lifted, as of 12:01 a.m. today, Oct. 28. James Bridgers, the county’s acting health officer, officially notified the County Council yesterday that the county had achieved a “moderate” rate of COVID-19 transmission.
All three COVID-19 booster vaccines are now approved and available in the county for eligible groups, officials with the Department of Health and Human Services announced.
“Are you concerned about new COVID variants? Want to get vaccinated or tested for COVID fall travel? Or are you looking to add an extra layer of protection for your tweens and teens? No worries as the “African American Health Program COVID Response” initiative, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, and Fit Fathers have you covered.” [sponsored]
The county will add new COVID-19 vaccination sites to those it already operates in anticipation of increased demand for booster shots. One of the new sites will be located in the Silver Spring Civic Building, 1 Veterans Plaza, as of Monday, Oct. 11.
COVID-19 vaccine booster shots are now available in the county for those who are 65 or older and got two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and certain other groups, county officials announced.
The county’s Department of Health and Human Services has been awarded a two-year, $3.7 million grant to provide support for Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams and the Crisis Center, expanding intervention services to those with mental illness or a disorder due to substance abuse.
The county’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security issued a Heat Emergency Alert that will begin at noon today, Aug. 11, and continue through 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12. A Heat Emergency Alert, a step above Tuesday’s Hyperthermia Alert, means that the heat index is forecast to be 105° F or higher.