WMAL NEWS
WASHINGTON – Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has proposed changes that would bring back gathering and capacity limits for restaurants and other businesses and facilities in the county.
During a public briefing via Zoom on Wednesday, Elrich said additional restrictions are needed to control the spread of the virus in the county. He mentioned that the county’s positivity rate has been steadily increasing in recent weeks.
Elrich’s order would limit gathering sizes in the county to 25 people and limit maximum capacity for restaurants, businesses and religious facilities from 50 percent to 25 percent.
The order would also require restaurants to collect the contact information of patrons in order to assist with contact tracing in the county. According to Elrich, this information would include names, phone numbers and the day and time you visited the establishment.
The county council will discuss the proposed changes at its next meeting on Thursday. If the changes are approved, they will go into effect on Friday at 5 p.m
Elrich also urged county residents to avoid large family gatherings for the holidays in order to limit the spread of the virus. He said people should use Zoom to talk with their families instead of meeting up in person.
“It is difficult not to do these family things,” Elrich said. “I’m used to sitting around the table with my grandkids and my daughter and son in law, and their families, and extended families and I’m not going to be doing this.”
Copyright 2020 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. Photo: Marc Elrich for County Executive Facebook
