The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an executive order to ban indoor dining and reduce capacity limits at various places, enacting coronavirus restrictions similar to those in other Maryland jurisdictions.
The order, proposed last week by County Executive Marc Elrich, took effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday, and does not have an end date.
Indoor dining in restaurants and bars is banned, outdoor dining is limited to 50% capacity and delivery/takeout services are still allowed.
Retail stores in the county are limited to 1 person per 200 square feet, with a maximum capacity of 150 people. Indoor sports are restricted to 10 people total, and outdoor religious gatherings are limited to 25 people.
Large retail and religious facilities can apply for a “Letter of Approval” from local officials for increased capacity. The requests must contain a plan for monitoring the people in the facility and ensuring social distancing protocols. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Dec. 21.
Additionally, restaurants with tents and other temporary outdoor structures that are rectangular must keep at least one side of the structure “entirely open.” A Letter of Approval must be obtained for use of yurts, dining bubbles and other nonrectangular structures.
The structures will be limited to 1 table per every 50 square feet, with a minimum of 6 feet between people at different tables.
The new measures sparked outrage among some residents during the public comment period before the vote.
“The cure is now far worse than the disease,” said resident Joe Bowers.
“You’re putting people out of work two weeks before Christmas,” Mr. Bowers said. “It’s unacceptable for our [county officials] to force hard-working business owners out of business while never missing a paycheck [themselves].”
Christopher Sargent, retail manager at Wegmans Food Markets Inc., said the “arbitrary cap of 150 people” reduces the grocery store’s occupancy by 95%.
“[It] will create long lines outdoors in cold weather during the holiday season and will likely lead to panic buying,” he said, adding that it will likely encourage residents to spend money in nearby counties with more store capacity.
Dr. Travis Gayles, the county health officer, said public health workers “sympathize and empathize with the economic plight that businesses are facing.” Nonetheless, their duty is to provide guidance based on “the fact that we do have record levels of cases” and “increased hospital utilization,” he said.
Dr. Gayles said that recent data show three of the county’s six hospitals are at full ICU capacity and one hospital is at full capacity for acute care beds.
Johns Hopkins University data show closing restaurants and bars could “potentially” lead to a 20% to 30% reduction in hospitalizations, Dr. Gayles added.
“I hate having to pass this executive order and support it — all of us do — but we must remain vigilant,” said Council Vice President Gabriel Albornoz, at-large Democrat.
Dr. Gayle said if the new measures do not help stem the spread of the disease, then a stay-at-home order would likely be the next option.
“We’re looking for [at] least a two-to-three week period to see a demonstrated level of change in the numbers,” Dr. Gayle said.
Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties are implementing similar restrictions that take effect Wednesday, including barring indoor dining and reducing capacity. The new rules will be in place until about mid-January, and officials will monitor COVID-19 data and trends to determine if the measures should be extended.
Meanwhile, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday held a press briefing about the state’s phased plan to distribute its initial allotment of 155,000 doses of drugmaker Pfizer’s vaccine.
Dr. Jinlene Chan, acting deputy secretary of public health services, said vaccinations began this week and she expects every hospital statewide will get their first doses within the next two weeks.
The first priority groups in Phase 1A include health care workers, first responders, long-term care facility staff and residents; Phase 1B includes people who are at “significantly higher” risk of severe illness from the virus.
Phase 2 will include people in critical essential infrastructure settings and those at “moderately higher risk” of severe illness. The general population will be in Phase 3.
A public dashboard tracking vaccines with geographic and demographic data also will be created, Dr. Chan said.
⦁ Shen Wu Tan contributed to this report.
• Emily Zantow can be reached at ezantow@washingtontimes.com.
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