The New York Times runs a daily report of
coronavirus in the U.S., and as of this writing, only three states and
the District of Columbia have a declining number of cases. Maryland is
one of the three states.
Here in Montgomery County, and with Prince George’s
County, we have almost half the cases in Maryland. We have worked
together, along with the District of Columbia and other neighboring
jurisdictions, to make sure that we did not reopen too soon and that
reopening includes the necessary precautions. Our caution has prevented
the huge spikes in cases that we see elsewhere.
Now, as we view what is happening in the rest of the
country, we see many states have reopened too quickly and without
strict guidelines. They are seeing dramatic spikes in the number of
COVID-19 cases and they are having to reverse reopenings and to close
businesses again.
I know, at times, it is frustrating to some, but we are
not going to make the mistakes that others have made. We will continue
to be guided by data because this is the only way to keep our residents
safe.
It is still vital that all of us follow the guidelines
that are in place: Wear face coverings in public spaces and businesses,
keep physically distancing and wash hands often.
It is likely that these practices will be with us for
quite some time, but we need them if we are to stay safe. The fact that
we have made the progress we have is testimony to the wisdom of County
residents and their willingness to act in ways that protect our
families, our neighbors and our larger community. We will not let up
until the job is done.
In addition to businesses and restaurants reopening with
limitations, this week Montgomery Parks started reopening playgrounds
and sports facilities. Our libraries are providing limited service and
our County pools will reopen begin reopening July 6 - more information below.
Unfortunately, the County’s traditional July 4
celebrations had to be canceled.
This week we began our program to provide financial assistance to child care providers
to help with reopening costs. We also held our first popup testing
event and more are scheduled. Please also see below about the
availability of free testing.
Even if this Fourth of July is different, I hope everyone
enjoys the long weekend. You can join our virtual celebration. If you are headed
to the beach, keep our guidelines in mind. Do all you can to protect
yourselves and your families. Try to avoid crowded and enclosed spaces.
Stay a safe distance from people without face coverings.
Finally, remember, fireworks are dangerous and illegal in
our County.
All that said, I hope everyone has a good holiday—and
please do what is necessary to stay safe.
COVID-19 Free
Testing Available at Three Sites with No Doctor’s Order Required
Montgomery County has three sites where residents can get
tested for COVID-19. Testing requires an advance appointment, but
doctor’s orders are not required and the tests are free.
The test sites are in Germantown, Wheaton and White Oak.
Appointments can be made by calling the Testing Helpline at 240-777-1755.
The line is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The
testing helpline will be closed on Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July
4, in observance of the Independence Day holiday.
The test sites will use oral swab tests so the tests are
easier and quicker. Results will be issued in approximately 72
hours.
The test site operation hours will be as follows:
Germantown. Parking
garage behind the Regal Theaters at 20010 Century Blvd. Mondays
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wheaton. Montgomery
County Parking Garage No. 45 at 11304 Amhurst Ave. Wednesdays and
Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
White Oak. Vehicle
Emissions Inspection Program (VEIP) site at 2121 Industrial
Parkway. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Montgomery County Recreation will open its seven outdoor
pools and three indoor aquatic centers on Monday, July 6, as part of
the County’s Phase 2 reopening. Pools will be open to pass holders
only.
Outdoor pools will open for two-hour sessions of
recreational swimming between noon and 8 p.m. seven days a week.
Indoor aquatic centers will open for lap swimming only.
The centers will open for two-hour sessions between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Monday through Friday, and between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and
Sundays.
Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL), whose buildings
have been closed since March due to the COVID-19 health crisis, will
start its contactless pickup service “MCPL Holds to Go” on Monday, July
6. Library customers will be able to place holds on items online
or by calling a branch. When the items are ready to be picked up, the
customer will get an email with instructions for making an
appointment to pick up their holds.
When the customer arrives at the branch for their
appointment, the library materials will already be checked out and
waiting on a table for pickup.
Holds to Go is the latest service being offered by MCPL as
Montgomery County continues to recover from the health crisis.
Virtual
programming continues, with a broad selection of programs
available for children, teens and adults. Library book drops are now accepting
returns. Materials are being held for a minimum of 72 hours before they
are checked in, so customers will see returned materials on their
accounts for several days.
Branches also are providing telephone service during
select hours. Hours and phone numbers can be found on the MCPL
website. No services will be provided on July 3 and 4 for
the Independence Day holiday.
Montgomery Parks
Begins Reopening Playgrounds and Other Facilities
Montgomery Parks of the Maryland-National Capital Park and
Planning Commission has started a gradual reopening of playgrounds it
oversees. Other facilities, such as the miniature trains at Cabin John
and Wheaton regional parks, have opened on a limited schedule, with
plans to reopen on expanded schedules soon.
It may take up to two weeks to reopen the 276 Montgomery
Parks playgrounds. Park visitors are encouraged to bring their own
wipes and hand sanitizer.
The parks are operating under Montgomery County Phase 2
guidelines authorized by County Executive Marc Elrich. Users of the
parks should wear face coverings and maintain social distancing of at
least six feet from others.
Among other facilities with reopening plans are the
miniature golf at South Germantown Park (now open with limited hours),
the indoor tennis centers at Cabin John and Wheaton regional parks
(opening on July 6 with limited hours) and the Wheaton Sports Pavilion
(opening on July 6 for futsal, soccer and lacrosse).
Registration is
Open for Montgomery County Recreation Virtual Summer Programs for All
Ages
Montgomery County Recreation has opened registration for
an exciting schedule of summer virtual programs and classes to promote
active and healthy lifestyles as the County gradually reopens from the
COVID-19 health crisis. Virtual programs will begin the week of July 6.
Programs and activities are tailored to a variety of
interests, skill levels and ages. Summer programs include arts, sports,
dance, exercise and wellness and much more. In addition, week-long
virtual summer experiences are available for children ages six to 12.
County Cancels
Fourth of July Celebrations, But ‘United Montgomery’ Will Air on County
Cable; Annual Agricultural Fair, Farm Tour Also Canceled
The ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis has led to
Montgomery County canceling both of the County-sponsored Fourth of July
celebrations for this year’s holiday. The traditional shows are
“Germantown Glory” and “Mid-County Sparkles,” which has been based at
Einstein High School in Kensington.
The County will celebrate in a different way. At 8 p.m. on
Friday, July 3, the special County salute “United Montgomery, Stronger
Together” will air on the County station County Cable Montgomery (CCM).
The 60-minute special will feature local entertainment and will include
messages from top County officials including County Executive Marc
Elrich and Council President Sidney Katz. It will have patriotic music
and fireworks displays from previous years.
The health crisis also has led to the cancellation of two
of the County’s most popular annual events: the Agricultural Fair held
in Gaithersburg and traditionally staged in August and the Farm Tour
and Harvest Tour highlighting the County’s Agricultural Reserve, which
is traditionally held in late July.
Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein and public
safety officials across the region launched a comprehensive
effort several years ago to inform and educate the public about illegal
fireworks. All fireworks, including sparklers, are illegal in
Montgomery County.
New Major
Projects on I-495 and US Route 29 Will Have Significant Impact on
County Traffic; I-270 South Project to Continue Throughout Summer
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway
Administration (MDOT SHA) will be working on two new major road
projects that will have significant impact for extended periods on
Montgomery County drivers. Emergency repairs to the inner loop of I-495
(Capital Beltway) Northwest Branch Bridge between MD 650 (New Hampshire
Avenue) and MD 193 (University Boulevard) are expected to last through
mid-July. A planned $5.7 million safety and resurfacing project
covering about four miles on US 29 (Colesville Road/Columbia Pike) in
Silver Spring is expected to last two years.
The early stages of the projects will coincide with the
phased reopening of Montgomery County as the COVID-19 health crisis
eases and more drivers return to the roads. Roadwork has already
started on a summer-long MDOT SHA project to resurface southbound I-270
from Rockville to Bethesda, causing major delays each day. Drivers are
advised to plan ahead, consider alternate routes or expect extra
commute times if they travel on or around the routes under repair.
Drivers also are asked to take extra caution to help keep workers safe.
The major repairs on the I-495 Northwest Branch Bridge
will begin after the July 4 holiday. Crews will perform permanent
joint repairs to the bridge. Completing the work will require daytime
and nighttime intermittent single- and multiple-lane closures between 9
a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays and between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. overnight. MDOT
SHA expects repairs to be completed by mid-July.
Work has begun on a nearly four-mile section of US 29,
between St. Andrews Way (near Sligo Creek Parkway) and Stewart Lane.
There will be significant lane closures each day. MDOT SHA expects the
project to be completed by the end of 2021.
Ride On Bus
Expands to ‘Essential Plus’ Service Starting Sunday, July 5
Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT)
will expand Ride On bus service starting Sunday, July 5, to support
County Executive Marc Elrich’s Phase 2 reopening plan as the COVID-19
health crisis eases. Changes beginning this weekend include activating
additional buses to provide more trips on about half of the routes in
service. Changes are being made in response to increased demand,
current traffic conditions and to reincorporate some “diversion” stops
that had been temporarily removed from service.
The expanded “Essential Plus” plan starting July 5 will
maintain the same 53 weekday routes, 49 Saturday routes and 42 Sunday
routes that have been in service since June 7.
During the Essential Plus plan, all Ride On services will
remain free to all passengers—a temporary change made during the health
crisis. Flex bus on-demand transit, a pilot program implemented in 2019
in the Rockville and Glenmont-Wheaton areas, remains suspended.
Service hours and bus frequency will be changed on
weekdays and weekends, and riders are encouraged to visit the Essential
Plus webpage for detailed information at montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-Transit/essential-plan.html.
Application
Acceptance for the Early Care and Education Initiative Recovery Fund
Open; $10 Million in County Funding Available
Child care providers in Montgomery County were able to
start applying on June 29 for funding to help offset financial losses
caused by COVID-19 and assist with reopening expenses. The Early Care
and Education Initiative Recovery Fund will provide financial
assistance to eligible licensed child care center programs, registered
family child care homes and letter of compliance programs.
Applications will be accepted until close of business on
Friday, July 17.
Of the $10 million in funding provided by the County
Council appropriation, $6.5 million will be allocated to support
licensed child care centers and letter of compliance programs and $3.5
million to support registered family child care homes. The maximum
grant amounts are $75,000 per childcare site for one site; $150,000 for
two sites; $200,00 for three sites and $250,000 for four or more sites.
The child care sites that are to be supported by the grant
must be in Montgomery County, and 60 percent of the children served at
each site must be Montgomery County residents. Actual grant amounts
will be based on capacity.
Revenue
Authority Staff Repackage Large Food Acquisitions in Smaller Quantities
for Pantries
Early on in the COVID-19 health crisis, Montgomery
County’s COVID-19 Food Security Task Force identified a shortage of
food staples—particularly rice, beans and lentils. They were available
to the County and its partners, but only in very large commercial and
industrial quantities. Food pantries and other nonprofit food providers
were all struggling to source these stables, and months into the
crisis, the problem remained: the County could acquire them, but only
in quantities sized for restaurants and caterers.
Task Force member and co-logistics manager Josh Carin is
the director of hospitality at the Montgomery County Revenue Authority
(MCRA), the independent agency that operates facilities such as nine
public golf courses and the Montgomery Airpark.
Josh has helped the task force source supplies throughout
the crisis and knew how hard it is to locate essentials in
consumer-sized portions. He had an idea for how to put available
resources to work.
Beginning last week, members of MCRA staff started
repackaging supplies delivered by wholesalers to Rattlewood Golf
Course, which is located north of Damascus. By repacking the supplies
into smaller quantities, food pantries, local nonprofits and
faith-based facilities are able to come to the golf course and
pick up the staples for distribution to residents in need.
The task force is hoping to expand the program to other
sites interested in helping, including several faith-based facilities
with on-site kitchens.
Food assistance providers are experiencing a surge in
requests for services and they are working collectively to address
needs.
