DC Ends Seating At Restaurants, Bars Under Coronavirus Response

WASHINGTON, DC — As federal health experts urge tighter controls on gatherings and social distancing, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday ordered all bars and restaurants to end table seating Monday night. The ban on indoor dining is in place until April 1.

Restaurants and bars may stay open after Monday night if they offer food delivery or customer grab-and-go operations. (Read the mayor's full order at the bottom of this story.)

Over the weekend, the District took a number of steps to expand its coronavirus response, which were tightened Monday. Mass gatherings of more than 50 people are now prohibited.

Nightclubs, health clubs and multi-purpose facilities must shut down starting Tuesday, March 1.

The D.C. Health Department confirmed Sunday night that the District has another presumptive positive case of the new coronavirus. This brings the District's overall positive case total to 17 individuals.

The latest individual to test positive is a 38-year-old woman. D.C. Health has been in contact with the individual and contract tracing is underway.

Also on Sunday, Mayor Bowser joined Govs. Larry Hogan (R-Md.) and Ralph Northam (D-Va.) in sending a joint letter to President Donald Trump requesting that National Capital Region be added to the list of priority locations for federally supported COVID-19 testing sites.

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"The National Capital Region is home to over six million residents and the seat of the federal government, with hundred of thousands of employees and contractors serving the Department of Defense and other mission essential agencies," the letter said. "The health of the National Capital Region is a top priority for the continuity of democratic government and critical to continuing federal government functions."

The letter also described how the state health departments and emergency agencies are working to identify locations in their communities for possible drive-through testing sites that could be activated with federal support.

"Given our extensive planning efforts as a region, we are well-positioned to make the best possible use of federal support for this testing," the letter said. "We will each commit to host a drive-through testing site in our jurisdiction."

READ ALSO: DC Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

DC Mayor's Ban On Mass Gatherings During Coronavirus Outbreak by Deb Eatock Belt on Scribd