Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said the county may be able to begin reopening within the next week or two.
The reopening will be gradual and will depend on metrics like new COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates and capacity. ICU bed availability is critical, Elrich said at a virtual media briefing Wednesday. On Tuesday, 19 ICU beds in the county were free.
Before considering reopening, the county is looking at metrics including sustained, 14-day decreases in the following: the number of new cases during increased testing, hospitalization rate, ICU rate, deaths and COVID-19 related healthcare visits. Positive trends have been made, County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles said. For example, eight of the last 14 days have seen a decrease in COVID-19 deaths.
Gayles said if most measures trend in the right direction, the county may allow limited reopening rather than jumping into a full Phase One transition. For example, curbside retail may be an option instead of opening an entire store with capacity limits.
On May 14, Elrich held a press conference to clarify that Montgomery County did not have the metrics to begin Stage One of recovery or lift the Stay at Home order, despite Gov. Larry Hogan lifting his order and announcing Stage One to begin last Friday. On May 15, Elrich signed his own executive order to extend the Stay at Home order for the county.
