Labor Day weekend doesn’t mean it’s time to party, DC region health officials say

With the Labor Day weekend ahead, health officials in the D.C. region are cautioning people that the occasion does not mean letting your guard down in the era of COVID-19.

FOX 5’s Ayesha Khan spoke with a number of people in Montgomery County Friday– and they tend to agree.

READ MORE: Fewer travelers expected to hit the road this Labor Day weekend amid pandemic

Despite seeing gas prices at the lowest they’ve been in the last four years, residents are staying put and celebrating the holiday with their immediate families.

Patty Bronson of Gaithersburg just returned from quarantining in Vermont – and the first thing she did was prepare for the long weekend by purchasing bags and bags of groceries.

READ MORE: Fauci warns coronavirus cases are 'unacceptably high' as Labor Day weekend approaches

Normally, Bronson said she invites her family and friends for a big cookout – but not this year.

“We are just having our grandkids and our kids so our immediate family not my parents who live near here,” Bronson said.

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Silver Spring resident, Reed Brown noted that he has a health condition, and he believes it’s better to just avoid going anywhere even if it’s a small gathering over a long weekend.

“It pretty bad for me because I can’t catch this,” Brown said, “people who have my condition have passed from COVID so I have to keep to myself pretty much.”

Health officials in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties – where leaders have have held off on moving into Maryland’s phase 3 of reopening – are warning, the crisis is not over, and are encouraging everyone to remain vigilant this weekend.
 
This comes despite the low gas prices.
 
According to AAA-Mid Atlantic, nationally, gas prices are at an average of $2.22 – in D.C. it’s $2.32, compared to $2.67 last year at the same time. And in the D.C. metro area, gas prices are at an average of $2.24, compared to $2.50 last Labor Day holiday.
 
But AAA also noted that a lot of drivers aren’t opting for the usual tourist spots – as concerns over the coronavirus continue to shape travel plans.
 
Nic Courtney said, he and his family usually get out of town, but even the hard to beat gas prices, won’t cut it for them. 
 
“Of course you could travel to the south, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia or places like those but with everything going on, I think the best thing for everybody is probably to just stay in the house,” said Courtney, a Gaithersburg resident.
 
Friday morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that if people don’t continue to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines, the U.S. could see nearly 30,000 more deaths before the end of the month.

When asked if Montogmery County health officials are monitoring and keeping track of Covid violations, public information officer, Mary Anderson said that the department does not track those. 

She said, local police handle any calls for large gatherings while the health department handles violations that maybe occurring at restaurants and bars.
 
We then contacted county police and were told to get in touch with state police who did not respond to us immediately.

We also contacted the Maryland Department of Health with the same inquiry and were given the following statement from deputy director, Charlie Gischlar:

“Your very best resource for business non-compliance regarding COVID-19 are local health departments and law enforcement agencies.”