County Council says clearer guidance needed for reopening second phase

County-managed pools won’t open on Friday

June 17, 2020 2:54 p.m.

Montgomery County hasn’t been clear enough with its guidelines and requirements for Friday’s second phase of reopening, County Council members said Tuesday. They had plenty of ideas for how to do better.

A health order or widespread communication effort is needed to clear up any confusion over which activities and businesses may resume, council members said.

The council met Tuesday with Dr. Travis Gayles, the county’s health officer, and Dr. Earl Stoddard, executive director of the county’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

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County Executive Marc Elrich signed an executive order on Monday night for the start of the second phase, but had to sign a revised version on Tuesday morning to clarify the use of swimming pools.

The previous version only allowed lap swimming. Because some pools aren’t big enough for lap swimming, the guidance was changed with specific provisions.

Council Member Andrew Friedson noted that the order and the Department of Health and Human Services guidance were different when they were released on Monday.

County-managed pools won’t be opened on Friday since staff members are still trying to get the pools ready and find enough lifeguards, Stoddard said. He did not say when the pools would open.

The indoor and outdoor pool provisions include a capacity limit of the square footage of the surface area of the pool divided by 36, which calculates six feet of separation between individuals in the pool. They also include regular cleaning of surfaces and shared areas, masks for residents who are interacting with others, and distancing.

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Gayles said swimming carries a lower risk of transmitting the virus, but pools are a typical place where many people gather together and might not be able to stay distant.

Council Member Gabe Albornoz said the county also needs to release guidelines for families visiting the pools.

“I think we need clear instruction and direction and guidance for families on what they should be looking for, how they should proceed, that is a unique set of communication than the general information we’re providing, which again is more skewed to the operators themselves,” he said.

Albornoz added that the information also needed to be in multiple languages.

The executive order lifts the stay-at-home order that was in place during the first phase of reopening. Health officials still advise that people stay at home except for essential reasons and when patronizing businesses that are allowed to open.

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Council Member Andrew Friedson suggested that the county publish a chart that shows the guidance from the state and the county regarding activities, so people can clearly see the differences. Many people could be getting mixed information of what’s allowed because the county is behind most of the rest of the state, he said.

“I do think it is helpful to make sure that we’re as clear and consistent as possible and that it’s guidance that’s easy to understand and for residents and businesses to comply with,” he said. “Ultimately, we could come up with perfect guidance but unless we can explain it to folks in an easy-to-absorb and [understandable] way, it doesn’t really do what it needs to do, which is keep people safe.”

During the council’s meeting on Tuesday, Council Member Hans Riemer said the guidance also isn’t clear for sports programs. The order specifically mentioned youth sports programs, which must be low-contact and have no more than 15 people.

But the youth sports programs provisions are tied to state guidelines, which now allow all youth sports to return with distancing and other requirements.

Stoddard said the county’s intention is that only low-contact sports be allowed to resume with a limit of 15 people.

The order also doesn’t specify provisions for adult sports programs, Riemer said, and doesn’t name the particular sports that are considered low contact.

Stoddard said the county would consider specific guidance for the programs.

“The state makes changes and doesn’t always announce the changes until you see them in the order. Unless you’re reading the orders to the letter, you may miss certain changes that have been made,” Stoddard said, adding that the county needs to make sure that the state’s provisions still meet the county’s intent with its own order.

Council Members Craig Rice and Riemer said Gayles should issue a health directive for people to continue wearing masks.

“I really would hope that we continue to push the idea of utilizing masks as much as possible and we should be using them regardless of whether we’re walking out on the street or inside a building, because it will help to minimize [transmission],” Rice said. “The reality is that it does help in a lot of instances.”

As protests against police brutality have gathered people in close, large groups across the county, council members have expressed concern that they could result in increased COVID-19 cases. But Gayles said the current data and metrics on conditions of the health crisis do not indicate an uptick in cases since the protests began.

Stoddard said the county has kept face coverings a priority in guidelines because of the public unity around mask-wearing.

“The more people that don’t wear masks, the more it encourages people to not wear masks,” he said.

County staff members have visited more than 1,100 businesses to make sure they are following the guidelines and restrictions of the first phase. No one is penalized for not following the direction, but gets a follow-up visit to make sure they’re in compliance, Stoddard said.

The county has now tested about 7% of its population and is working on increasing testing availability and accessibility in areas, such as downtown Silver Spring.

As testing increases and reopenings continue, Gayles said that even though the overall county metrics and conditions have shown improvement, there are still pockets in the community that are disproportionately impacted by the virus.

“Until everybody in our county is able to enjoy those good outcomes [of reopening], we have to measure and act with some sense of caution,” he said.

Briana Adhikusuma can be reached at briana.adhikusuma@moco360.media.

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