Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said she will extend the District’s State of Emergency, which is set to expire July 24, likely through early October. The State of Emergency and a Public Health Emergency have been in effect since first declared March 11.
As of June 15, DC reported three additional deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the total to 571 residents. The District reported 80 new positive cases, with the total number of cases at 11,026.
Asked about delays reported by District patients awaiting COVID-19 test results, Bowser attributed the lapses to an influx of tests nationwide. In response to reports from residents receiving results up to a week after tests were administered, she said the District’s “internal capacity” has “maxed out,” and added that the city has contracted additional capacity.
CNN reported Wednesday that hospital data on coronavirus patients will be sent to the Trump administration instead of first being sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After hearing the announcement, Bowser said she was “concerned that there was some political motive behind it” but said she remains focused on “making sure the data is used by scientists to inform the work that they are doing.”
On Other Matters
In response to a letter from DC Councilmember David Grosso (At-Large) calling for the firing of Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham, Bowser said she is “absolutely not” considering firing Newsham.
Bowser said the District will release more information on the upcoming school year for DC Public Schools tomorrow, adding that parents will soon be asked to make registration decisions.
More information about Phase 2 guidelines is available here.
Eva Herscowitz is a journalism student at Northwestern University currently interning with Capital Community News. She writes for Northwestern’s student newspaper, The Daily Northwestern. You can reach her at eva@hillrag.com
