Media Briefing
Montgomery County Executive Marc ElrichMontgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Assistant Chief
Administrative Officer Dr. Earl Stoddard, and Acting Health Officer Dr. James
Bridgers held the weekly public health update on Wednesday, October 20. The
briefing provided updates on COVID-19 cases, booster shots, vaccination
mandates, and more. The County Executive stated that Montgomery County’s high
vaccination rates are responsible for lower case rates. Yet, the vaccination
campaign is not over. The county is preparing for booster shots and vaccinating
over 100,000 younger children once they are approved. In the past four weeks, the county had 2,345 COVID-19
cases. Of those, there were 107 hospitalizations, which is about 5 percent of
the case count. The current positivity rate is 1.61, and the case rate is
7.46 per 100,000. The county continues under the substantial transmission
category, and therefore, the indoor mask mandate will remain in place. Elrich also addressed the vaccination mandate for county
employees by expressing his concern regarding the possibility of not having
the resources to respond to public safety emergencies and having jails
understaffed. The county executive declared that if implemented, a
vaccination mandate could possibly result in Montgomery County Fire and
Rescue Service (MCFRS) losing about 100 uniform employees and 100 volunteer
service providers. As a result, the county would experience an increase in
response times that shift changes, forced holds, and overtime cannot solve in
the long term. Additionally, the department of correction and
rehabilitation, which currently has 28 vacant positions, could lose over 125
employees. The police department would have to let go of 280 sworn officers
and 110 professional staff. According to MCPD, the mandate would reduce its
capability to meet the minimum staffing requirement within district stations,
and recruitment and replacement of staffing could take 18 months. Regarding MCPS updates, Elrich stated that the number of
quarantine students has declined from 1,700-1,800 reported in the first weeks
to 356 due to the testing program implemented by the county. Moreover, MCPS
launched a dashboard that tracks
the number of students quarantined by month. On another note, Elrich stated that because the county is
in a substantial transmission category, the county can celebrate Halloween with
less worry compared to last year. The Health and Human Services Department
has put out tips to celebrate
Halloween safely to serve as a guide to the community. Lastly, the county executive expressed his best wishes to
Nancy Kopp, who served the state of Maryland for five decades and is now
retiring. Click here to watch the briefing. |
