County Executive Marc Elrich “vividly” remembers the day officials were told Maryland’s first cases of COVID-19 were in Montgomery County residents.
Five years ago to the day, officials were notified about the county’s first three cases of the disease. Since then, more than 2,500 county residents have died from COVID-19.
Elrich said the county was intent on minimizing the spread. “That’s why we made the very hard decisions to do the things we did in Montgomery County, to minimize public gatherings and crowds of people,” he said while reflecting on the pandemic during a media briefing Wednesday. He believes many lives were saved from the way the county approached COVID-19.
The county’s handling of the pandemic did draw backlash from some residents. In May 2020, Elrich and then-County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles announced a county reopening plan amid protestors. Later that year, residents protested an order from Gayles for private schools to stay virtual, which Gayles eventually rescinded.
“Travis Gayles was amazing, despite all the nonsense he got from the haters,” Elrich said.
Elrich said what stands out the most from the county’s response is “how our county came together.” He recalled residents who sewed masks when they were harder to obtain at the start of the pandemic.
