2020 coronavirus pandemic in Washington, D.C.

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2020 coronavirus pandemic in Washington, D.C.
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationWashington, D.C., U.S.
First caseMarch 7, 2020
Confirmed cases31
Recovered0
Official website
coronavirus.dc.gov

The first incidences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Washington, D.C. were reported on March 7, 2020. As of March 17, 2020, there are 31 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Washington, D.C. and several more in the surrounding counties of the Washington metropolitan area.[1]

Timeline[edit]

February[edit]

Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an executive order that began to prepare Washington D.C. for coronavirus impacts on February 28. It was announced in the executive order that the District's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) would be activated on March 2, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. to begin to "coordinate inter-agency information sharing and identify logistical needs for critical incident responses." It was also announced that the Washington D.C. Department of Health and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency would be responsible for the response planning for COVID-19.[2]

March: first cases[edit]

March 1-4[edit]

On March 2 at 9:00 a.m., the D.C. Emergency Operations Center was activated at an Enhanced Watch status, as per the executive order signed on February 28.[2]

On March 3, Mayor Bowser, the D.C. Department of Health, and the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency held a public briefing on the coronavirus and the District's "monitoring, preparation, and response" to it.[3]

March 5–7[edit]

On March 7, the first two cases of COVID-19 in Washington, D.C. were confirmed. The first case was a rector at Christ Church Georgetown who had not traveled outside the United States recently or had contact with another infected coronavirus patient. He participated in church services on February 23 and March 1. The rector felt better initially, but his condition deteriorated to the point of hospitalization, when it was confirmed he had coronavirus. After it was confirmed the rector contracted the virus, the church cancelled services indefinitely. The second case was a Nigerian national who traveled to D.C. and went to a hospital in Maryland for treatment. Although the second man was being treated at a Maryland hospital, he was counted as the District's second case by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[4][5]

March 8–10[edit]

On March 9, School Without Walls, a public school in Foggy Bottom, was closed by District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) for a full-day deep cleaning and disinfecting by a third-party contractor after an employee was exposed to COVID-19 the week before. The employee tested negative and entered a two-week quarantine. DCPS chancellor Lewis Ferebee announced the closing over Twitter the previous day.[6]

Three more coronavirus cases in D.C. were confirmed the night of March 9, including an attendee of Christ Church Georgetown. D.C. officials recommended a two-week self-quarantine per CDC guidelines for anyone who attended Christ Church on February 24 or between February 28 and March 3. At that time, $1.5 million had been allocated to the pandemic response by the D.C. government.[7]

On March 10, George Washington University announced classes will be moved online after spring break, starting on March 23 and continuing until at least April 5. In addition, all residential students were expected to no longer be living on campus beginning March 21. It was stated that an opening date would not be announced until the end of the instructional continuity period when a decision for the rest of the semester would be made.[8][9]

Also on March 10, Georgetown Day School, a private school, closed indefinitely and began a deep clean citing concerns about community members affiliated with Christ Church Georgetown.[10]

March 11–14[edit]

Maria Cantwell, a U.S. senator from Washington state, closed her D.C. office on March 11 due to one of her aides testing positive for the virus.[11]

On March 12, the United States Capitol, the White House, and the United States Supreme Court Building closed to most of the public until April after several offices closed and multiple lawmakers went into precautionary quarantines.[12]

On March 13, DCPS announced that they will cancel classes until April 1, implementing online distance learning.[13] Also on March 13, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) escalated its operations to level 3 of its pandemic flu plan, announcing that service on the Washington Metro would be reduced to one train every 12 minutes from Monday to Saturday and one train every 15 minutes on Sunday beginning on March 17. In addition, Metrobus service would change to a Saturday supplemental schedule on weekdays beginning on March 17.[14][15]

Mayor Muriel Bowser held a press conference, announcing that gatherings of people over 60 years of age or with preexisting health issues would be limited to 10 people. The restriction would not apply to residences, schools, or places of work. For populations not at-risk the government promoted social distancing measures to limit the spread of the virus.[16]

On March 14, Mayor Bowser issued a statement confirming 6 more positive cases in Washington, D.C., bringing the total number of cases up to 16.[17]

March 15–16[edit]

On March 15, Mayor Bowser's office announced 1 more positive case in Washington D.C., bringing the total cumulative number of cases to 17. The patient in this case is a 38-year-old woman who came into contact with another case.[18]

The Hill Restaurant Group (HRG) said on March 16 they would comply would restrictions on bars and restaurants ordered by Mayor Bowser on March 15. Tom Johnson, the managing director of the group, had earlier said he would ignore the order, saying it would force his company into bankruptcy.[19]

On the evening of March 16, Mayor Bowser's office released an update that confirmed five more positive cases of coronavirus in the District. The patients involved were a 23-year-old man, a 42-year-old woman with a history of travel to Europe, a 54-year-old woman, a 54-year-old man, and a 56-year-old man. These five cases brought the cumulative number of cases in D.C. to 22.[20]

March 17–18[edit]

Late on March 17, Mayor Bowser's office announced the confirmation of nine more positive cases in the District, bringing the total number of positive cases to 31. The patients were all male and between the ages of 23 and 61. The 23-year-old patient was confirmed to have attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.[21]

Government response[edit]

On March 11, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a state of emergency, and recommended against any non-essential gatherings of more than 1000 people.[22][23]

On March 13, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) shut down schools from March 16 to March 31. March 16 was reserved for professional development for teachers in preparation for the implementation of distance learning. The April Spring Break period was moved to March 17 to March 23, after which classes were set to resume online. DCPS-sponsored out-of-state travel for students was suspended until May 1 and staff travel was restricted. During the closure, several schools were set to offer meals to students from 10 am to 2 pm on weekdays.[24]

On March 16, Mayor Bowser ordered the suspension of on-site bar and restaurant service, effective 10:00 pm that day, as well as the closures of other venues with a potential capacity of 50 or more, such as health spas, massage parlors, theaters, and gyms, effective March 17.[25]

Impact on sports[edit]

Main article: Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on sports

The pandemic affected several sports in the district. On March 12, Major League Baseball cancelled the remainder of spring training, and on March 16, they announced that the season will be postponed indefinitely, after the recommendations from the CDC to restrict events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, affecting the Washington Nationals.[26] Also on March 12, the National Basketball Association announced the season would be suspended for 30 days, affecting the Washington Wizards.[27] In the National Hockey League, the season was suspended for an indefinite amount of time, affecting the Washington Capitals.[28]

In college sports, the National Collegiate Athletic Association cancelled all winter and spring tournaments, most notably the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities districtwide.[29] On March 16, the National Junior College Athletic Association also canceled the remainder of the winter seasons as well as the spring seasons. [30]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Coronavirus Data Update: March 16 | coronavirus". coronavirus.dc.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  2. ^ a b "Mayor's Order: District Government Preparations for the Coronavirus | coronavirus". coronavirus.dc.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  3. ^ "Mayor Bowser to Hold Briefing on the District's Coronavirus Monitoring, Preparation, and Response | coronavirus". coronavirus.dc.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  4. ^ "Georgetown Church Rector, Traveler Diagnosed as DC's First 2 Coronavirus Cases". NBC4 Washington. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  5. ^ @MayorBowser (7 March 2020). "Late this afternoon, testing at the Public Health Lab at the DC Department of Forensic Sciences yielded its first presumptive positive coronavirus (COVID-19) case. Join me live at 7:30 p.m. for a briefing at the John A. Wilson Building" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ @dcpublicschools (8 Mar 2020). "Tomorrow - 3/9 - School Without Walls High School will be closed. DCPS is conducting a deep cleaning and disinfecting of the building following an employee being exposed to COVID-19. Test results were negative, and there is no immediate risk to students and staff. cc: @SWWHSA" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Gelman, Scott; Alvarez, Alejandro (9 March 2020). "16 coronavirus cases confirmed in DC, Md. and Va". WTOP. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  8. ^ "George Washington University moving to online classes after spring break". Fox 5 DC. 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  9. ^ "Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center". Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Volou, Khalida (10 March 2020). "DC school closed due to coronavirus exposure linked to Christ Church Georgetown". WUSA9.
  11. ^ Lightman, David. "Aide to Maria Cantwell tests positive for coronavirus. Senator closes her D.C. office". thenewstribune. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  12. ^ Zengerle, Patricia; Heavey, Susan (12 March 2020). "UPDATE 5-U.S. federal buildings put away the welcome mat as coronavirus hits". Reuters. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  13. ^ @dcpublicschools (13 March 2020). "DCPS will modify operations from Monday, March 16 through Tuesday, March 31 to help limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our region. For more info about the closure schedule, meal locations for students & distance learning details, please visit: dcps.dc.gov/coronavirus" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Metro takes additional steps, coordinates with public health authorities on COVID-19 | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  15. ^ George, Justin (13 March 2020). "Metro to reduce transit service in response to the coronavirus outbreak". Washington Post.
  16. ^ Vitka, Will; Bonk, Valerie (13 March 2020). "Trump declares national emergency; DC bans mass gatherings". WTOP.
  17. ^ "Coronavirus Data Update: March 14 | coronavirus". coronavirus.dc.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  18. ^ "Coronavirus Data Update: March 15". Government of the District of Columbia. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  19. ^ DC restaurant group says it will comply with restrictions after mayor's warning The Hill, 16 Mar 2020
  20. ^ "Coronavirus Data Update: March 16 | coronavirus". coronavirus.dc.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  21. ^ "Coronavirus Data Update: March 17 | coronavirus". coronavirus.dc.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  22. ^ Jamiel Lynch; Paul LeBlanc. "DC mayor declares state of emergency due to coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  23. ^ Moreno, J. Edward (2020-03-11). "Washington, DC, declares state of emergency over coronavirus". TheHill. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  24. ^ "Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates". District of Columbia Public Schools. DC.Gov. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Second Va. man dies, D.C., Maryland restaurants, bars close as toll passes 100". Washington Post. 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  26. ^ Feinsand, Mark (March 16, 2020). "Opening of regular season to be pushed back". MLB.com. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  27. ^ "Silver: NBA hiatus likely to last 'at least' 30 days". ESPN.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  28. ^ NHL statement on coronavirus NHL, March 12, 2020
  29. ^ NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships NCAA, March 12, 2020
  30. ^ NJCAA cancels spring sports, basketball nationals amid coronavirus outbreak MLive.com, March 16, 2020

External links[edit]

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