Employees and customers of certain retail outlets in the county are now required to wear face coverings during the COVID-19 emergency, according to a health order issued by Travis Gayles, M.D., the county’s health officer. The order, effective today (April 13), covers grocery stores, pharmacies and large chain retailers (“big-box” stores), as well as farmers markets.
The Montgomery County Department of Police and the state police yesterday announced policies and procedures the departments would follow while enforcing Gov. Larry Hogan’s Monday stay-at-home order. Neither department’s officers will make random stops to ask whether drivers are in compliance with the order to undertake only essential travel.
Gov. Larry Hogan has issued an executive order directing Marylanders to remain in their homes during the COVID-19 emergency, effective at 8 p.m. tonight, March 30. “I have signed an executive order which institutes a stay-at-home directive,” the governor announced during a press conference this morning. “No Maryland resident should be leaving their home unless it is for an essential job, or for an essential reason, such as obtaining food, or medicine, seeking urgent medical attention, or for other necessary purposes.”
Update: The state Department of Health now confirms 15 cases in Montgomery County.
Most county facilities are now closed to the public, and other changes are either in effect or expected in an effort to combat COVID-19. As of Sunday afternoon, there were 12 confirmed cases of the disease, according to information from the state, county officials announced yesterday.
County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council President Sidney Katz issued a joint statement after Gov. Larry Hogan signed authorization yesterday for special state funding to address the COVID-19 virus. As a public service, the Source is publishing it in its entirety.
Fans of electric scooters would face new restrictions on their use under the terms of a bill introduced this week by Council President Sidney Katz (D-District 3). Bill 8-20, Bicycles and E-Scooters—Operating Requirements and Registration, would create operating requirements for the use of low-speed electric scooters and is intended to reduce injuries, among other purposes.
All rental units in the county will be required to provide air conditioning under the terms of a bill passed unanimously yesterday by the County Council. The bill will require that individual air conditioning units, or a central air conditioning system, be maintained in good working condition to provide an inside temperature of 80 degrees or less from June 1 through Sept. 30.
Activists scored a victory earlier this month when the Montgomery County Council discussed an amendment to a proposed community policing bill that would, among other things, remove language calling for an expansion of the county’s school resource officer program.
The Montgomery County police have announced the arrests of three suspects in a Jan. 5 shooting on Ellsworth Drive, one adult and two juveniles, all from Washington, D.C.