Phase One of reopening is set for Friday, May 29, in Washington, D.C.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Wednesday, May 27, that Washington, D.C., would enter Phase One of reopening on Friday. Though gatherings of 10 people are still prohibited, the stay-at-home order will be lifted and some non-essential businesses will reopen.
The mayor's order comes at the end of a federally-suggested 14-day decline in the spread of the virus in the district, in addition to adequate hospital capacity and testing resources. Though new cases have slowed generally, Memorial Day weekend brought an increase. But instead of resetting progress towards 14-days of decreasing cases, officials decided to not count the holiday weekend. Counting resumed when cases again started to decline, which allowed for the reopening to occur this week.
You can read the full details of Phase One reopening here, but in brief:
Work
- Work from home strongly recommended.
- Nonessential retail businesses can open for curbside pickup.
- Hair salons can open for appointments only.
- Restaurants can serve diners outdoors if they already have outdoor seating and tables are 6 feet apart.
- Bars and nightclubs remain closed.
- Limited childcare opening.
School
- Preschool K-12 and adult education will be conducted with distance learning only.
- Higher education can be conducted with limited on-campus activities.
Life
- Public transit would meet demand and allow for physical distancing.
- Gyms and workout studios would remain closed.
- Places of worship would continue with virtual services or groups under 10 people.
- Health care providers can offer outpatient services and procedures as long as they do not burden hospital capacity.
The State of COVID
By way of qualifying her announcement, Mayor Bowser said:
"I want to clarify this. COVID-19 is still in our community, in our region, in our nation, and the public health emergency will continue."
The city acknowledged that reopening brings the added risk of new infections.
"More people can get infected because now more people will be moving around in the community," said Bowser.
The previously-employed social-distance practices, like maintaining six feet distance from others and wearing a mask, will be continued.
You can find information about Phases Two and Three of reopening D.C. here.
What are your thoughts on reopening and the associated regulations? Weigh in with a comment!
