Coronavirus: DC Mayor Extends Public Health Emergency By 3 Weeks

WASHINGTON, DC — Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an executive order Wednesday that extends the District's public health emergency due to the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, by three weeks. The order goes into effect immediately and affects all previous orders Bowser has issued during the emergency.

"We're extending everything, bars, restaurants, mass gatherings, modified government operations, schools," Bowser said, during a Wednesday morning press briefing. "Stay at home. So all of the mayor's previous orders that we responded to COVID-19 will be extended to May 15."

The mayor said she would be providing more information about D.C. Public Schools and government operations on Friday.

"We know that we will need at least until May 15 to continue to flatten the curve," Bowser said.

In spite of her decision to extend the emergency, the mayor acknowledged that data has shown fewer positive cases than were predicted.

"The number of infections today is less than what the number of infections could have been based on our modeling," she said. "That has been because our residents and businesses are making tremendous sacrifices to flatten the curve."

In issuing her new order, Bowser was acting under the authority granted by D.C. City Council to respond to the public health emergency, which she originally declared on March 11. The emergency was due to expire on April 24.

"Today's Mayor's Order will go even further to protecting our vulnerable populations," she said. "It puts in place a number of protocols to protect vulnerable residents from the coronavirus and also clarifies earlier orders."

Last week, Bowser issued an order requiring District residents to wear a mask when they went shopping for groceries. It also outlined safety procedures for food sellers and fresh food markets. Her new order clarified the mask requirement to include:

• hotel workers, guests and visitors
• Drivers and passengers of taxis, rider shares, and private transportation providers
• Workers and customers of food sellers
• Workers and individuals using public transit.

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The chief focus of the new order was to lay out how the District was going to care for vulnerable populations in the city. This includes individuals being kept by the Department of Corrections (DoC), the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), and Saint Elizabeths; people in community based care, such as nursing and group homes; those in homeless shelters; and vulnerable residents living at home.

At the the DoC, 56 residents have tested positive for COVID-19, 32 have recovered and one individual died. In addition, 18 DoC personnel have tested positive.

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, DoC has implemented screening for anyone entering the facility, created an isolation unit to keep inmates who test positive for the virus, modified the circumstances for how inmates move in and out of the facility, and distributed person protective equipment (PPE) to those who visit, work or escort inmates.

To reduce the population of the D.C. Jail, the Metropolitan Police Department has made fewer overall arrests, focusing instead on violent crime and domestic violence. As a result, the jail population has dropped by 22 percent.

At the DYSR, three residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and one has recovered. Nine DYSR personnel have tested positive, and one has died from the virus.

DYSR is quarantining new residents at their facility for 14 days, providing PPE where necessary and isolating individuals who test positive.

At Saint Elizabeths Hospital, 28 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 4 have died. Forty-seven personnel tested positive and 28 residents are being kept in isolation.

In D.C. shelters, 76 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19, 4 homeless individuals have died, and 229 are in remote quarantine. The District is housing homeless individuals who are medically vulnerable in hotel rooms.

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