Montgomery County could reinstitute indoor mask mandate

As COVID-19 cases nationwide grow due to the fast-spreading Delta variant, officials in parts of the D.C. region are taking a look at reinstating restrictions.

ROCKVILLE, Md. - As COVID-19 cases nationwide grow due to the fast-spreading Delta variant, officials in parts of the D.C. region are taking a look at reinstating restrictions.

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The Montgomery County Council will meet Thursday to vote on reinstating a mask mandate for all people in the county -- regardless of vaccination status.

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The new regulation would require face coverings in public indoor areas if and when Montgomery County reaches 'substantial' COVID-19 transmission.

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The regulation would:

Generally would require residents to wear face coverings in indoor areas open to the public if the County becomes an area of substantial transmission of COVID-19. The County would be deemed an area of substantial transmission if the County reaches 50 to 99.99 total new cases per 100,000 persons in the past 7 days or 8 to 9.99 percent test positivity during the past 7 days. The CDC classifies transmission values as low, moderate, substantial or high, Guidance for Implementing COVID-19 Prevention Strategies in the Context of Varying Community Transmission Levels and Vaccination Coverage | MMWR (cdc.gov).

If the County becomes an area of substantial transmission, the Health Officer would be required to notify the Council, the County Executive and the public that the indoor mask mandate has been triggered.

The meeting will be held Thursday morning.