D.C. is moving into its second phase of reopening, a day after the city recorded more than 10,000 residents testing positive for the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, according to DCist.
As of Monday, the District clocked in a total of 10,058 positive COVID-19 cases since confirming its first presumptive case in March, according to city data. The city first surpassed 10,000 total cases on Sunday, two days after Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the city would move into Phase Two of reopening.
The new regulations will permit indoor dining and nonessential retail and mass gatherings at half capacity. Phase Two will also allow businesses to increase the limit on the number of people attending mass gatherings from 10 to 50, according to the D.C. government.
The District recorded 36 new positive cases Sunday – the average number of new cases over the past week, according to the city’s coronavirus data website. Since the pandemic began, about 1.42 percent of D.C.’s population has been infected with the novel virus compared to 1.06 percent of Maryland’s population and 0.67 percent of Virginia’s population, according to DCist.
The guideline needed to enter Phase Three of reopening states “sporadic transmission” of the disease, according to the mayor’s office. The third phase would allow higher-risk activities, like reopening pools with safeguards and increased capacity in restaurants and businesses.