Officials in Prince George鈥檚 County, Maryland, warned against 鈥淐OVID fatigue鈥� and said the county would remain in Phase Two of pandemic-related restrictions as cases in the county continue a recent rise.
Prince George鈥檚 County was 鈥渢he hardest-hit jurisdiction in our region,鈥� County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said at a briefing Thursday, adding that 鈥渙ur COVID-19 metrics are still higher than we would like them to be. In fact, they have gone up.鈥�
County Health Officer Dr. Ernest Carter had the numbers: There were 852 new cases in the county for the week of Oct. 18, the highest weekly mark for the county since August.
The percentage of coronavirus tests that come back positive is up to 4.3% from 3.9% a month ago, and the infection rate 鈥� the average number of people each patient goes on to infect 鈥� stands at 1.07, just under the 鈥渉igh鈥� range of 1.1 and well above the 0.9 that health officials look to as a sign that the virus is receding.
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Alsobrooks and Carter both warned that Halloween, Thanksgiving and likely Christmas wouldn鈥檛 look like the usual holidays this year.
Indoor haunted houses are not permitted this Halloween, Carter said, and residents should 鈥渃onsider holding a virtual gathering鈥� for Thanksgiving, given that contact tracing for most of the new cases shows family gatherings 鈥� even small ones 鈥� as a major factor in the spread of the virus.
鈥淚n the name of safety,鈥� Carter said, 鈥渟how your love a little bit differently this year.鈥�
Rental assistance
Alsobrooks said the county鈥檚 was relaunched Tuesday to help renters who have fallen on hard times due to the economic fallout of the pandemic.
The revived system differs from the previous one in an important way: Landlords and property managers have to apply on behalf of their tenants.
There鈥檚 almost $6 million ready to be disbursed, up to a maximum of $1,800 a month and a maximum of six months.
Landlords should go to the county鈥檚 for more information and to apply.
Schools
Alsobrooks pushed back against state schools Superintendent Karen Salmon鈥檚 assertion earlier this week that schools should be reopened Dec. 7, when the winter sports season has been cleared to begin.
鈥淚 will rely on Dr. Carter, but 鈥� all of those are indicators that we are not headed in a direction where we would feel comfortable鈥� with in-person learning, Alsobrooks said. 鈥淲e will absolutely respect the opinions of our families and teachers and administrators.鈥�
That said, she empathized with parents and students who were having trouble with distance learning, particularly in subjects such as physics and geometry. 鈥淭hese things are not easy for our kids,鈥� including her own 15-year-old daughter, Alsobrooks said.
Election
The county executive said more than 65,000 Prince Georgians have already voted, the most in the state.
Alsobrooks advised voters who haven鈥檛 cast their ballots yet to drop them off at one of the 42 drop boxes in the county, but that anyone who wanted to vote by mail should take it straight to a post office in order to ensure that it鈥檚 postmarked by 5 p.m. on Nov. 3.
