WASHINGTON — The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading across the DMV, leading to unprecedented changes to our everyday life to reduce the disease.
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Wednesday, May 27:
- Gov. Larry Hogan says that Maryland is ready to complete Stage One of its reopening plan, and he announced he will allow restaurants to reopen for outdoor dining Friday. Outdoor youth sports, camps and pools can also reopen Friday with restrictions in place. Hogan said the state could be ready to enter Stage Two next week if trends continue.
- D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the District will reopen Friday, with some restrictions, following 14 days of a sustained decline in coronavirus cases in the city.
- Gov. Larry Hogan says there will be a new free COVID-19 testing site at Six Flags America in Upper Marlboro starting Friday. It's one of two new testing sites coming to Prince George's County.
- D.C. will lift its stay-at-home order and begin phase one of reopening on May 29.
- Maryland reported 736 new cases of coronavirus and 53 additional deaths.
- D.C. has hit a 14-day decline in new cases of coronavirus. Health officials reported 72 new cases and 5 additional deaths.
- Virginia health officials report an additional 907 cases and 45 additional deaths. An additional 60 people have been hospitalized in the commonwealth.
Tuesday, May 26:
- Gov. Ralph Northam made the announcement during a news conference Tuesday. He said starting Friday, May 29, "everyone will need to wear a face-covering" to protect others. Face covering enforcement would be done through the Virginia Department of Health and not through law enforcement, Northam said.
- "This is for businesses who are grossly negligent. If a manager of a restaurant is not adopting this policy, then VDH can enforce (with a warning or fine)," Northam's Chief of Staff Clark Mercer said Tuesday.
- Gov. Northam said that Northern Virginia is on track for Phase 1 of reopening starting this Friday.
- D.C. announced the addition of two new testing sites in the city and the onboarding of 50 new contact tracers.
- Charles County announced it is ready to move toward phase one and reopen Friday.
- Maryland reported 535 additional cases of coronavirus in the state. Health officials say 30 more people have died as a result of the virus. It's the lowest single-day increase in cases in a month.
- D.C. reported no new deaths as a result of COVID-19 on Tuesday. Health officials reported 109 new positive cases in the District. There are now 8,334 total cases in D.C. 440 people have lost their lives.
- Virginia reports 1,615 new cases of coronavirus and 28 deaths as a result of the virus. An additional 56 people have been hospitalized according to health officials. The 1,615 new cases in Virginia is a single-day high for the commonwealth and brings its 7-day average over 1,000 cases for the first time.
- Face masks may soon be required in Virginia.
Updates on coronavirus cases come from health departments between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. every day.
What precautions should you take?
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are unavailable.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Check the status of the virus in your state with your state health department's websites by tapping below:
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