Excerpts below from the April 9, 2020 Bethesda Magazine article, ‘Montgomery County health officer orders shoppers to wear face coverings‘.

Starting Monday [April 13, 2020], shoppers at Montgomery County stores must wear a face covering, under an order the county’s health officer announced Thursday [April 8, 2020] evening.

The order says retailers must not allow more than “a small number” of customers into a store at once, according to a county press release. The measures are aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus disease, or COVID-19.

“We are working on many fronts to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Travis Gayles, the health officer, said in the press release. “Protecting shoppers and store employees is critical.”

Gayles’ order comes two days after the Montgomery County Council discussed a similar face-covering mandate for both employees and customers in essential facilities and retail stores.

The regulation the council was considering would have made it a class C civil violation for someone who did not follow it.

Employers would have to provide face coverings to employees who interact with coworkers and customers in person, starting [April 16, 2020].

However, no citations would be given to employers who show “good faith effort” to obtain appropriate face coverings, according to the proposal.

Council Members Gabe Albornoz and Hans Riemer were the lead sponsors of the regulation, which the council was expected to discuss and put up for a vote on [April 14, 2020].