MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — As the D.C., Maryland and Virginia region continues to see an uptick in coronavirus cases, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich took to Twitter to call for the state of Maryland to go back to Phase 1.
In a tweet posted just after midnight Monday, Elrich said the restrictions currently in place for Maryland, "won't bend the curve in the right direction."
Elrich believes even if the possibility of Phase 1 isn't statewide it should be in place for the majority of nearby jurisdictions.
Putting back the Phase 1 restriction will mean residents will have to stay home unless doing essential work, travel or errands. This would also mean restaurants would be limited to carryout only.
As the largest county in the state, Montgomery County has been at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic in Maryland. Like its neighbor Prince George's County, Montgomery County has moved at its own pace in reopening – often delaying moving forward weeks longer than the rest of the state.
In September, the county decided to remain in Phase 2 while Gov. Larry Hogan moved the rest of the state into Phase 3. Just recently, along with several other counties in the region, Montgomery County announced its decision to allow only 25% capacity at restaurants, houses of worship and other businesses.
Last week, Hogan reverted many of the state's restrictions back to their Phase 2 levels in an attempt to curb surging case numbers in the state.
As of Monday, Montgomery County had recorded 31,389 positive coronavirus cases and 890 deaths.
Montgomery County also reported high numbers of testing a week before the November holiday, with more than 13,000 tests administered in six days, compared to 8,022 the previous week, according to a Montgomery County spokesperson.
On Saturday the State of Maryland reported a daily new high of 51,510 COVID-19 tests, smashing all previous records, according to Gov. Larry Hogan.
Elrich also said Monday he believes, "we're in danger of overwhelming hospitals."
Maryland has seen its hospitalizations due to the coronavirus jump by an incredible 50% statewide over the past week. In just seven days, that number has grown by 300 patients. As of Monday, there were more than 1,200 people in Maryland hospitalized for treatment of the coronavirus.
Hogan was scheduled to share the latest update on the state's response to the rise in coronavirus cases at a 4 p.m. news conference Monday.