Bowser: DC ‘back on track’ for possible reopening

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 24: District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser joins other District officials as they provide an update on the Districts financial forecast in regards to the covid-19 pandemic on Friday, April 24, 2020. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)(The Washington Post via Getty Im/The Washington Post)

After seeing a setback this weekend with an increase in coronavirus cases, D.C. is trending downward again, which could lead to the area reopening by the end of the week.

“We’re back on track,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told NBC Washington on Monday.

After an increase in cases over the weekend that reset the ongoing count back to 11 days of decreased cases, they’re now seeing progress again. Bowser said on Monday that D.C. has seen an additional day of decrease in cases, bringing the count to 12.

“If that holds and we continue to get two more days of decrease, we’ll be at 14 days, so by Wednesday morning I’ll be able to say if we have made 14 days,” Bowser said.

One of the key benchmarks in D.C.’s advancement to Phase 1 of reopening is to show — based on a five-day average — a 14-day decline in community spread.

Bowser said that the next few days are crucial for D.C. residents, and that they should be careful and stay home over the next few days.

“Try not to go to parties or barbecues and continue to social distance,” she said.


More Coronavirus news

Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.


Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

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