Montgomery County encouraging indoor mask wearing as COVID-19 cases rise

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Officials in Montgomery County are recommending wearing masks indoors as a surge of COVID-19 cases has caused numbers to rise across the area.

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"Our current surge in cases is lasting longer than expected, which leaves more people at-risk of being exposed to COVID-19," said County Executive Marc Elrich in a statement Tuesday. "I encourage everyone to wear masks indoors in public spaces when possible as well as continue to use our ample testing and vaccination resources we have in the County. I know we are all tired of this virus, but the virus is not tired of us. If we keep doing our individual parts, as a community, we can tamp down this increase in the case rate and avoid going back to days of more restrictive measures."

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County officials say the COVID-19 case rate has increased over the last month and is now more than triple the recent low that was recorded on March 15.

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The County is currently still considered an area of low-level community transmission as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, officials say the case rate is quickly approaching medium-level community transmission.

Prince George's County recommending mask-wearing in indoor public places as COVID-19 cases rise

The Prince George's County Health Department is recommending people voluntary wearing masks in indoor public places.

Officials say they are concerned about the impact spring break travel and holiday gatherings may have on transmission rates.

Acting Health Officer Dr. James Bridgers recommends the following:

Use of a well-fitting face covering during visits to congregate places and indoor spaces with limited social distancing;
Use of testing and test-to-treat antiviral medication after returning from travel or gatherings; and
Staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster-shots.

Free vaccination clinics at can be found at GoVAXMoCo.com.