GAITHERSBURG, Md. - The Montgomery County Council extended their indoor mask mandate until Feb. 21.
"The COVID-19 omicron variant has pushed Montgomery County and other areas of the country into an extended period of high COVID-19 transmission," the Council said in a statement. "As of Jan. 25, Montgomery County’s transmission rate is 9.1 percent and the County has recorded 579.8 cases per 100,000 residents during the past seven days.
Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 5 DC ON YOUTUBE
This browser does not support the Video element.
Montgomery County's mask mandate could be extended through the end of February
Montgomery County's indoor mask mandate is set to expire Jan. 31. But a bill before the council now, would keep the indoor mask mandate in place until Feb. 28. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald discusses what it would take for the mask mandate to get lifted and talks to the Montgomery Co. president about the proposed vaccine passport.
The Council said it will meet weekly with County's public health officer to see if the indoor mask mandate should be terminated earlier.
During the weekly meeting, the Council stated the public health officer will provide trends regarding the number of cases per 100,000 residents, the test positivity rate and the COVID-related hospital bed utilization case rate for seven consecutive days.
"We know that getting vaccinated, boosted and wearing masks are the most important public health measures we can take to help contain the ever-evolving COVID-19 virus," said Council President Gabe Albornoz in a statement. "We appreciate the ongoing efforts of our residents and public health team.
"By continuing to work together, we are hopeful that we will contain this latest surge in cases next month." Albornoz continued. "Until then, we must continue the tried and true protections that we know help to limit community spread. These steps help protect our most vulnerable residents as well as our first responders, medical personnel and essential workers who continue to keep our community moving."