DC To Enter Phased Reopening On Friday With Some Restrictions
WASHINGTON, DC — Mayor Muriel Bowser is signing an executive order Wednesday to lift her stay-at-home order, moving the city closer to a Phase One opening on Friday. She signed the original order on March 30 to stem the spread of COVID-19, the illness associated with the coronavirus.
"COVID-19 is still in our city, in our community, in our nation, and the public health emergency will continue," Bowser said, during a Wednesday morning press briefing. "Gatherings of more than 10 people are still prohibited."
Under Phase One, the following restrictions will be in place.
Non-essential retail businesses can now operate for delivery, curbside service or pickup. Customers are prohibited from entering the businesses.
Barber shops and salons will be able to operate by appointment only. Work stations must be at least six-feet apart. In addition, they will only be able to offer hair-related services. No waiting inside the shop.
Some D.C. parks will be open for use, including dog parks, tennis courts, golf courses, tracks and fields.
Playgrounds, public schools, recreation centers and other indoor facilities at D.C. Parks and Recreation will remain closed.
Contact sports, such as soccer, basketball, and football, will not be permitted.
Physicians and health care facilities will be able to provide outpatient or other surgical procedures that don't overburden hospital capacity and negatively affect the District's ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
Restaurants can continue to offer delivery and curbside pickup. In Phase One, they can now offer outdoor dining. Customers must place their orders while seated. Tables must be located six-feet apart and no more than six people can sit at a table.
According Bowser, the District will be working with restaurants that are currently unable to offer outdoor seating to find ways to make that possible. This would include reimagining how the city's sidewalks, alleys, and roads are being used, to allow for restaurant, retail and recreational use.
Bowser made the announcement as the District reached one of its major milestones toward reopening the city. D.C. has achieved 14 days of a sustained decline in transmission of COVID-19, the illness associated with the coronavirus.
"Of course, this 14-day decline in community spread is one of the metrics we established for moving into Phase One, and now we have reached it along with other metrics for testing capacity, health care system capacity, and public system capacity related to testing and tracing," Bowser said.
Last Thursday, Bowser announced the District was on track for a phased reopening on May 29, provided the city continued to meet the milestones laid out by D.C. Health.
"As we begin reopening, it cannot be said enough that every single one of us has a role to play to protecting ourselves and each other," Bowser said. "It's critical that people wear masks, social distance, and continue to practice good hygiene. We have a shared responsibility to stop the spread of the virus even as we reopen."
Along with the decline in community spread, the District has increased its supply of PPEs, expanded hospital and testing capacity, and hired new contact tracers.
"As we begin to have more people moving around the city, I want to emphasize that we have the ability to test anyone who needs a test," Bowser said.
D.C. residents looking to be tested because they are sick or have been exposed to COVID-19 can contact their own health care provider or call the citywide testing line at 855-363-0333 to make an appointment.
The District will be opening two new drive-thru and walk-up testing facilities on Monday, June 1. One of the news sites, which will be located at 241 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., will replace the testing site at United Medical Center. This new site was chosen because it was deemed a more accessible location, according to Bowser.
The second new testing facility, which will be open for walk-up testing, will be located at 5th Street Northwest, between F and G streets, near the National Building Museum.
Get the latest updates about coronavirus in Washington, D.C. by signing up for free Patch news alerts.
Bowser said CVS Health will soon be offering drive-thru testing at several pharmacies in the District. These will be self-swab tests for COVID-19. The company will be making an announcement later this week with more information about test site locations.
"We still need to be very focused on identifying who has COVID-19, who has been exposed to COVID-19, and making sure those people isolate so that we can stop the spread of the virus in our city," Bowser said.
D.C. Health confirmed five new deaths Wednesday due to COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus. The total number of coronavirus deaths in the District stands at 445.
The new deaths were described as:
55-year-old male
66-year-old male
69-year-old female
73-year-old male
75-year-old female
D.C. Health also confirmed 72 new positive COVID-19 cases. The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the District stands at 8,407.
D.C. Health has confirmed 42,697 overall patients and 35,682 District residents have been tested for the coronavirus and 1,082 have been cleared from isolation. Contact tracing investigations are focused positive cases tied to health care workers and first responders, senior care facilities, correctional and detention centers, child care facilities and facilities serving homeless individuals.
Positive COVID-19 Cases By Age And Gender
Total of Positive COVID-19 Cases By Ward
Total COVID-19 Deaths By Ward
Total of Positive COVID-19 Cases By Race
Total of Positive COVID-19 Deaths By Race
Globally, more than 5.6 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 351,000 people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday morning. In the United States, more than 1.6 million people have been infected and over 98,000 people have died from COVID-19.
SEE ALSO:
This article originally appeared on the Washington DC Patch
