Washington, D.C. may remain on lockdown for up to three months in the worst-case scenario drawn up by city officials and unveiled during a virtual town hall this week, NBC Washington reports.
Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of the D.C. Department of Health, showed a slide show on Wednesday during the virtual town hall that showed a “most-stringent” plan and a “less stringent” plan for reopening the city after the coronavirus outbreak. Nesbitt said that the worst-case scenario has D.C. remaining closed for three more months, while the best-case scenario has the city starting a phased reopening in about two months.
The city is under a stay-at-home order until May 15, and Nesbitt said that officials need more data before they can decide whether to extend it.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told CNN on Tuesday that the city has yet to hit its “peak” number of coronavirus infections, and that she is therefore being cautious about reopening businesses.
“We’re looking at all of the information coming in from our scientists and medical experts,” Bowser said. “And even looking to the guidelines put out by the White House corona task force would suggest that we have to have 14 days of declines in cases in our jurisdiction.”
The mayor added, “businesses and residents are working very hard to stay at home to make sure we can see that, but we haven’t hit that peak yet.”
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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