Editor’s note: Here’s the email County Manager Matthew Woodard sent to Montgomery County’s mayors, managers and clerks on June 23. To read the state of emergency declaration issued by the county on June 23, click here.
Mayors/Managers/Clerks,
Good afternoon. I’m providing information and action plans resulting from our follow-up COVID-19 meeting, which was scheduled for 2 pm yesterday. …
At the meeting, the information presented was not good, not good at all. We have performed 392 remote tests over the last two week, and while dozens of those results haven’t been returned from the lab (74 tests were conducted on Friday alone at Star), of the ones received from the lab no less than 47 were positive. More troubling, most of these positives were asymptomatic.
Our infection rate is greater than 12 % and presumably much higher (when all results are returned). Our numbers are so high we were contacted late yesterday afternoon by the State office of DHHS. We are in the top ten infection/per capita percentages and have been labeled a COVID-19 hot spot.
We are taking steps to increase staff, so we can immediately ramp up testing. We have set a goal to test 15% of the population over the next 8 weeks. With test already administered, the goal will be an additional 425 tests per week. As we know, testing is the key for tracking but steps must be taken to curb the rate of infection. We need to take measures to reduce the infection rate to below 5% of the population.
Attached is a State of Emergency order being signed this afternoon by the Chairman. The order requires masks to be worn while indoors (while not alone or with family members) and outdoors where social distancing cannot be maintained. Under the Emergency Management Act, the Chairman may authorize this action County-wide, but she kindly requests each mayor to endorse the declaration by issuing a similar decree or by providing a cover-letter endorsement to hers.
We recognize that there won’t be any citations issued for defiance of this order. We are not going to put law enforcement or others at risk in that effort. What we are attempting to do by this State of Emergency order is to give store owners, businesses, and merchants what they are needing and desiring: the ability to post a notice at their front doors that people should wear a face covering for the benefit of all. What we are doing is to support the people who want to do the right thing but are being stigmatized for doing so. What we are attempting to do is educate those who need to better appreciate the seriousness of this virus, the impact it is having, and how we need to act in order to move forward- not backward.
The Health Director will be posting weekday updates on the County website as we start tracking our daily testing numbers, cumulative testing numbers, infection rate, and our progression to get below 5% infection. We ask your support to endorse the effort, to get the word out, and to help local businesses post the notices. Please help us contact the churches, and if folks need help getting masks please let Robbie know.
Robbie will be coordinating efforts to provide and post notices. Attached are sample notices for businesses. He will help you and businesses refine as necessary. The Sheriff has also agreed to use deputies to contact businesses. Robbie will be in contact with you all to discuss localized efforts.
The next three weeks will be difficult, especially on Health Dept. staff, as we try to test, track, and educate. On behalf of the Chairman and the County Board of Commissioners, thank you all for being such good partners.
Best,
Matt