Citing spikes in COVID-19 cases in areas of the country that have lifted safety restrictions, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said that the county would stay in Phase Two of Maryland’s reopening plan “for the time being.”
“We’re watching cases skyrocket in a number of states,” Elrich said Wednesday at a remote media briefing, adding that he was “concerned about rises in cases around us.”
He added, “It’s harder to control this than people realize.”
Elrich said re-closing businesses, such as what has happened in Florida, California and Texas, would be even more difficult than the earlier shutdowns.
“It’s hard to do this now,” he said; “it would be hard to do it twice.”
Elrich also said that cuts to various county departments are in the works, though specifics are still being worked out. He said he asked departments to submit plans to cut spending by up to 6%, though he won’t make all of them — the Department of Health, he said, is a perfect example of what not to cut in the middle of a pandemic.
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As for the county’s overall fiscal picture, he said, “I will not dismantle county government … in order to keep reserve numbers untouched. This is what a reserve is for.”
Officials were asked about recent statements by President Donald Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that schools should reopen on schedule in the fall.
County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles pointed out that states are instituting a variety of policies regarding schools — Florida’s governor has declared that all schools will open for in-person classes on schedule Aug. 24, while Hawaii has said they will wait until at least four weeks have gone by with no cases.
Gayles said he would be touring a few schools to look at measures they are taking to reopen if it comes to that, but he added that “I think it’s reckless to come through with mandates that aren’t informed by data and science. We’ve been very thoughtful” with data, “and I’m confident that officials here and at the state level will look at the data … moving forward.”
Dr. Earl Stoddard, the county’s director of emergency management and homeland security, said that while “there is clearly [developmental] benefit to having children in schools,” comments such as those by federal officials are “not going to take precedence over student and staff safety.”
‘A plateau’
All that said, Elrich and Gayles had reasonably bright news about the county.
“We’ve reached a plateau” in cases, Elrich said, describing the 68 cases recorded on Tuesday as a “blip” that can sometimes happen when tests from multiple days are counted at the same time.
Gayles said the county had reached a milestone, with 10% of residents having been tested — one of the benchmarks set out on Gov. Larry Hogan’s COVID-19 plan. He added that Wednesday’s daily number of 34 cases was the lowest since April.
Gayles also reiterated his emphasis on “systemic” and “structural” factors that contribute to certain population groups becoming harder-hit than others, such as access to health insurers, overcrowding and the demographics of who is considered an essential worker.
Enforcing the rules
Stoddard said inspectors will continue to visit businesses in the county to make sure they are operating under the rules, using a combination of education and enforcement where appropriate.
He said a “handful” of businesses had been cited or closed down, and that he had about 70 complaints in his inbox just on Tuesday about businesses not complying.
But, Stoddard said, “the vast and overwhelming of our businesses” are complying.
“We cannot and will not allow a handful of irresponsible businesses to ruin it for our whole business sector,” he said. “We just want everyone to follow the rules that got us to where we are now.”
Asked about pressure to reopen businesses in the face of economic hardship, Elrich said, “I’m under more pressure from people not to open than to open,” judging by the number of people who email him.
He acknowledged he got many repeat emails from “some who want to fill up my mailbox,” while Gayles characterized those who want to lift restrictions as “a vocal minority.”
“It’s not that big a death rate until you’re the one who dies, or someone you love dies,” Elrich said.
