Baltimore County Requiring Masks In County Offices

TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) -- Baltimore County will require face coverings in county offices and facilities effective Friday.

The announcement was made in light of rising Covid cases as a result of the highly contagious Delta variant. On Thursday Maryland reported over 1,000 new cases within 24 hours for the first time since April.

"This commonsense step will help limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of our workforce and visitors to our buildings and facilities," said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. "I thank our dedicated employees for helping us keep each other, our loved ones, and our community safe. We continue to closely monitor key metrics and the advice of scientific experts and remain committed to taking whatever steps are necessary to protect public health."

Baltimore County is now within the CDC's substantial transmission zone, (50-99 cases per 100,000 residents) officials said.

"We must use all the tools in our arsenal to defeat this deadly virus," said Baltimore County Health Officer Dr. Gregory Wm. Branch. "We are working to get the vaccine into the arms of all of our eligible residents. Until that is accomplished, wearing masks inside County facilities will go a long way toward decreasing the spread."