Montgomery to Enter Stage 2 on Friday; D.C. Likely to Follow

Dear WANADA Members,

Yesterday, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich announced that his county will enter a modified version of stage two under the county's ReOpening Montgomery plan. The plan is more restrictive than what Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has allowed under his latest statewide order, but it does mirror many of the standards that went into effect in Prince George's County on Monday.

Effective Friday, Montgomery County businesses, including auto dealership salesrooms, will be able to have 1 patron for every 200 square feet of interior floor space; the same capacity limit is in effect in Prince George's County. Indoor dining, with capacity restrictions, will also be allowed to resume as it has in the rest of the state (outside of Baltimore, which remains in a modified stage one re-opening). Car washes, gyms, houses of worship, and childcare facilities will be among the other businesses that can expand operations in Montgomery beginning on Friday.

In the rest of Maryland, outside of Montgomery, Prince George's, and Baltimore city, retail businesses can conduct indoor business operations at up to 50 percent capacity, while enforcing social distancing and facemask usage. This largely mirrors Virginia's phase two re-opening, which has been in effect across the commonwealth, including in Northern Virginia, since last Friday.

In the District of Columbia, Mayor Muriel Bowser said yesterday that the city was on track to enter its version of phase two on Friday. She said she would provide a final update later this week, likely on Wednesday, but that the current trends of declining community spread and rates of positive COVID-19 tests were promising. 

Under phase two of the ReOpen DC plan, non-essential retailers will be able to resume indoor sales operations at the same capacity levels as Montgomery and Prince George's -- 1 patron for every 200 square feet of indoor space. Childcare services can resume, as can indoor dining, with a 50 percent patron capacity limit. Facemasks continue to be required in the District, as well.

As always, we encourage you to review the pertinent restrictions and best practices that your state and local governments have produced, and to continue prioritizing social distancing and cleanliness in your businesses. Both Virginia and Maryland's latest orders are enforceable by the state departments of health, and Maryland counties will continue conducting their own compliance efforts as well. 

Please let me or Joe Koch ( jk@wanada.org) know if you have any questions. And please continue to refer to  WANADA's COVID-19 Information Library as a repository for all the latest information related to state and local re-opening plans.

Sincerely,
  
John O'Donnell
WANADA President and CEO