About Coronavirus 2020
Washingtonian is keeping you up to date on the coronavirus around DC.
DC is in its 11th day of sustained Covid-19 case decline, Mayor Bowser announced in a press conference today. Should that trend continue, Bowser said the District could begin Stage One of its four-stage opening plan as early as Friday, May 29. Here’s what reopening is going to look like in DC.
Stage One
When it will begin: Once we hit 14 continuous days of declined virus transmission.
What to expect: Hair salons and barbers can begin to reopen with limitations. Retail stores can open for curbside pickup and delivery, and restaurants can open for socially distanced outdoor seating. Childcare can resume with restrictions, prioritizing the needs of frontline and essential workers. Libraries can open for curbside pickup. Parks and fields can open for groups of ten or fewer. Religious organizations can engage in gatherings of ten or fewer. Working remotely is strongly recommended. Travel is discouraged. Gatherings of up to ten people are allowed. Masks are required in public. Six-foot physical distancing will continue.
Stage Two
When it will begin: The District has contained the virus to localized transmission.
What to expect: Restaurants can fully open with capacity limitations. Summer camps and museums can open with strict restrictions. Schools can begin reopening with social-distancing restrictions and should consider implementing an A/B schedule so only half of the students are at school at any given time. Playgrounds can reopen. Religious organizations can engage in gatherings of 50 or fewer. Gyms can open with limited access. Nonessential shared transit is permitted. Working remotely is strongly recommended. Travel is discouraged. Gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed. Masks are required in public. Six-foot physical distancing will continue.
Stage Three
When it will begin: The spread of the virus has declined to sporadic transmission.
What to expect: Bars and nightclubs can open with limitations. Summer camp and museum restrictions can be slightly relaxed. Libraries can fully open with restrictions. All childcare services can open with restrictions. Pools can reopen with restrictions. Working remotely is encouraged. Travel can resume. Gatherings of up to 250 people are allowed. Masks are required in public. Six-foot physical distancing will continue.
Stage Four
When it will begin: An effective vaccine or cure is implemented.
What to expect: DC will emerge into a “new normal,” that will closely resemble pre-Covid life.
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
