Heather Curtis
MONTGOMERY COUNTY (WMAL) – Restaurants in Frederick and Montgomery counties will not be allowed to host more indoor diners when the state allows restaurants to expand indoor capacity from 50 to 75% Monday because leaders in those counties are concerned about the latest COVID-19 numbers.
“I have decided to take a pause with reopening so that we can continue to track our numbers,” Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner said Monday.
Gardner said the seven day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people has gone from six Sept. 5 – the day after the county entered Phase III of reopening – to just shy of 10 Monday. She added the number of people with confirmed COVID-19 cases taken to the hospital in ambulances is the highest it has been since July.
“The rapid growth in new cases is of concern,” Gardner said.
In Montgomery County, there were seven days in September where there were more than 100 new cases according to Earl Stoddard, the county’s director of homeland security and emergency management. The county remains in Phase II. He said to move into Phase III they would like to see a moderate number of cases, which translates to roughly 38 cases per day in the county over a 14-day period using CDC guidelines. Right now, Stoddard said the county is in the 85 cases per day range.
While these metrics have prompted the two counties to keep indoor dining capacity at 50% for now, both are taking steps to try to help restaurants struggling during the pandemic, especially as outdoor dining becomes less appealing as the temperatures drop.
“I appreciate that the hospitality industry as a whole has been hard hit by COVID, and we have already been looking internally at ways to support our restaurant industry,” Gardner said.
The county’s office of economic development is working on a program that could give restaurants grants to get outdoor heaters and fuel for them so they can extend their outdoor season as the weather gets colder, according to Gardner.
Stoddard said Montgomery County may have an opt in program to extend hours for alcohol sales in restaurants beyond the current 10 p.m. cutoff, which many restaurant owners have said is costing them and their employees a lot of money.
“We realize absolutely how devastating this has been economically for many many businesses, so we’re trying, if there’s a way that we can open things up safely we’re going to do it,” Stoddard said of all businesses in the county.
The Montgomery County Council will get an update on COVID-19 Tuesday.
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