Bowser Lays Out Criteria For Reopening DC After Coronavirus

WASHINGTON, DC — Mayor Muriel Bowser laid out the criteria Thursday about how the District would reopen from all of the closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. She said the recovery presented a chance for the District to address many of the long-standing health and social inequities that are causing disparities in the city.

"As we think about reopening, we see this as an opportunity, not just to go back to the way things were before, but to do and be better than before," Bowser said, in a Thursday morning press briefing. "So, we're going to have to be better with limited resources. But we have a once in a generation opportunity to reopen our city in a way that builds a more equitable D.C. And we should not let this opportunity pass us by."

The White House released new guidance a week ago for states to reopen amid the new coronavirus pandemic, offering no timeline for easing social distancing restrictions but rather leaving the decisions up to governors to make on statewide or county-by-county levels.

Bowser confirmed that while D.C. health officials' thinking around reopening is in line with that guidance, but certain milestones need to be reached before lifting restrictions.

"First, that is to observe a consistent downward trend of new cases over a two-week period," she said. "Also, that our health-care system must be able to treat everyone who needs care without the use of crisis standards of care. In other words, we need to be able to provide appropriate care for everyone who needs it."

According to the mayor, any reopening would require the District to increase its contact tracing ability in order to control and contain the virus. The District currently has 65 individuals performing contact tracing and she confirmed the Department of Health will be hiring new personnel to raise that number above 200.

"We all know that our community has made too many sacrifices to move forward too quickly or in a way that doesn't prioritize the health and safety of our residents,"Bowser said. "So we will be deliberate and strategic in our plans to reopen."

On March 25, Bowser ordered all businesses in the District to close, except for those providing essential services. Less than a week later, she followed that up with a stay-at-home order directing all District residents to remain in their homes and only go out for essential reasons, such as obtaining food and medicine or visiting the doctor. She later extended the public health emergency in D.C. to May 15.

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Bowser noted one of the most distressing aspects of the pandemic has been the racial inequities exposed by her daily updates on the numbers of confirmed positive cases and deaths due to COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus.

"It's not just distressing, it's very scary to a lot of people and a lot of families in Washington, D.C.," Bowser said.

On Thursday morning, D.C. Health confirmed a total of 3,361 positive cases of COVID-19 in the District and 139 deaths due to the virus. The latest data shows that African Americans account for 50 percent of the positive cases (1,670) and 81 percent of the deaths (112).

The plan for recovery will be community driven, according to the mayor. To that end, she is putting together a Reopen D.C. Advisory Group, made up of government and community leaders.

"This advisory group will have 12 committees that will guide when and how we reopen, as well as how we monitor our progress," she said.

Areas of focus for the committees include:

• Equity, disparity reduction and vulnerable populations
• Public health innovation and workforce
• Transportation, infrastructure
• Open spaces and recreation
• Education and child care
• Government operations, public safety and criminal justice
• Faith, arts, culture, hotels and entertainment
• Restaurants and food retailers
• Retail and small business
• Human services, social services and health
• Real estate and construction.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will advise the advisory group and the committees will be guided by the Public Health Principles for Phased Reopening During COVID-19 For Governors, which was published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School.

Related:

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Trump Announces Guidelines For Reopening; Timing Up To Governors

Coronavirus: DC Mayor Extends Public Health Emergency By 3 Weeks

Coronavirus: DC Mayor Orders District Residents To Stay Home

All Non-Essential DC Businesses Ordered To Close Over Coronavirus