Travelers Must Be Tested For COVID-19 Before Visiting DC

WASHINGTON, DC — Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an updated travel advisory Thursday requiring travelers to be tested for COVID-19, the virus associated with the new coronavirus, 72 hours before coming to the District. If the traveler tests positive for the disease, they should not travel to D.C.

"We are also requiring anyone who is in close contact with a confirmed case should not travel the District," Bowser said, during a Thursday morning press conference. The advisory will go into effect Monday, Nov. 9.

In addition, individuals who are staying in D.C. longer than three days are asked to be tested for COVID-19 within three to five days of their arrival in the city.

"We wanted it to be very clear that those who are traveling, especially right now with increased cases of COVID-19 around the country, travel should be restricted as much as possible," Bowser said.

There are exemptions to the updated travel advisory:

• Visitors from Maryland and Virginia are exempt from the order.
• People visiting the District for essential work may complete those duties before receiving the results of a second test, as long as they don't have symptoms nor been in contact with a positive case.
• Visitors coming to the District for less than 24 hours are exempt.
• People traveling for a family funeral or an emergency are not required to obtain a negative test before coming to the District if obtaining such a test would be impractical. However, they must restrict their activities to those related to the emergency.

D.C. residents returning to the District should limit their daily activities and self-monitor upon their return, or limit daily activities and get tested upon their return.

Last week, the mayor shared holiday guidance encouraging people not to travel and to celebrate Thanksgiving at home.

"We want people to be smart and safe if they do travel," Bowser said. "Limit your activities to reduce your chances of getting infected and use testing to understand your exposure and help you to know whether you were infected."

Bowser acknowledged that testing is not perfect and that a negative test does not mean that a person will remain virus-free, and they could still infect another person.

"Under this updated guidance, private institutions such as universities, employers, hotels, hospitals, congregate-care facilities, and houses of worship will be able to ask visitors about their recent travel and may require a record of a negative COVID test," she said

D.C. Health confirmed 81 new positive cases of COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus, on Thursday. That's up slightly from the 77 cases reported on Wednesday. This brings the District's total number of positive cases to date to 17,682.

D.C. Health also reported three new deaths Thursday due to COVID-19. The deaths are described as a 58-year-old woman, a 59-year-old woman, and an 83-year-old man The total number of deaths in the District stands at 650.

According to D.C. Health, 540,502 coronavirus tests have been administered in the District, 262,829 residents have been tested, and 13,653 have been cleared from isolation.

The District currently has 62 intensive care unit beds available out of 345 total intensive care unit beds. There are currently 193 in-use ventilators out of a total of 247 available. Also, there are 26 COVID-19-positive ICU patients.

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Globally, more than 48.2 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 1.2 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday morning. In the United States, more than 9.4 million people have been infected and over 233,000 people have died from COVID-19.

District residents should take the following actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Also see ...

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