WASHINGTON — The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading across the DMV, leading to unprecedented changes to our everyday life to curtail the disease.
Maryland, Virginia and D.C. have all issued stay-at-home orders to help slow the spread of the virus. Scroll down in this live blog to find what that means for each state and the District.
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Key Facts
- The first case was discovered on March 5
- Events with more than 10 people have been banned.
- D.C., Maryland, and Virginia have declared States of Emergency
- D.C., Maryland and Virginia have issued stay-at-home orders
- Online learning and teleworking for non-essential D.C. government workers is extended in the District until April 27
- Public schools in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are closed
- Maryland, Virginia and D.C. have ordered all non-essential businesses to close
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Saturday, April 4
7 p.m.: Carroll County announces three new nursing home deaths at Pleasant View Nursing Home. It brings the total to nine deaths. Twenty-four staff and 77 residents have tested positive. A woman in her 90s with underlying conditions also passed away at Carroll Lutheran Village.
6:45 p.m.: Dr. Deborah Birx suggests that D.C. could be one of the next hot spots for the coronavirus in the United States.
6:28 p.m.: Rhode Island Ave, Takoma and Wheaton metro stations re-opened after being closed for cleaning due to a staff member testing positive for coronavirus.
5:45 p.m.: White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Deborah Birx is looking at Pennsylvania, Colorado and D.C. as the United States' next big hot spots for the coronavirus. But limiting your trips to the grocery store and pharmacy could help.
2 p.m.: Five patients at the Larkin Chase Care and Rehabilitation Center have tested positive for coronavirus.
1:50 p.m.: A second Prince George's County Police officer tested positive for COVID-19, the department announces. The department has reached out to those who may have had recent contact with the officer.
10:30 a.m.: D.C. Department of Health announces 902 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the District and 21 deaths.
10 a.m.: There are 3,125 cases and 53 deaths, and 821 people are hospitalized in Maryland, health department officials said.
9 a.m.: Virginia Department of Health announces 2,407 coronavirus cases in the commonwealth with 52 deaths.
Friday, April 3
11:22 p.m.: DC Fire and EMS said five more staff members have tested positive, bringing the department total to 28.
7:38 p.m.: Montgomery County announced three new deaths, bringing the county total to nine.
7:35 p.m.: D.C. launched a new drive-thru and walk-up testing site at United Medical Center. The new test site is for D.C. residents with symptoms who are 65-years and older; D.C. residents with symptoms who have underlying health conditions; individuals with symptoms who work in a health care provider or facility in D.C.; and first responders with symptoms who work for the District government.
7:22 p.m.: LCPS staff member who participated in the Chromebook distribution program at Madison’s Trust Elementary School on March 31 has reportedly tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
6:42 p.m.: Union Station closes nightly between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, until further notice.
5:48 p.m.: Carroll County Health Department announced six additional cases of COVID-19 in the county, including one resident and one staff member at Carroll Lutheran Village.
5:12 p.m.: Metro is further reducing service starting April 6, and will close trains at 9 p.m. and buses at 11 p.m. every night. Ridership is down about 95 percent during the pandemic.
2:30 p.m.: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signs an executive order that prohibits mortgage lenders for initiating the foreclosure process. It gives Marylanders a 90-day deferral period where no negative marks can be reported to credit bureaus. In addition, trucks, mobile homes and cars cannot be repossessed.
Maryland now reports 2,758 confirmed cases in the state, 50 percent of which are under the age of 50. Five infants have tested positive, and 42 people have died.
There are 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maryland Department of Corrections: three inmates, eight contracted workers, four correctional officers and two parole/probation officers.
2 p.m. Gov. Ralph Northam announces that unemployment applications in the commonwealth totaled over 100,000. Three care facilities have been identified and are being built in the state, starting with one in The Dulles Expo Center.
Northam said hotel vouchers are being provided for the commonwealth’s homeless population. Northam's staffer added that 500 hotels with over 37,000 rooms available answered the call to house the 1,500 homeless Virginians in need. FEMA is assisting the effort with food, cleaning supplies and medical attention.
12 p.m.: The Washington Mystics announce their season has been postponed, following WNBA and CDC guidelines.
RELATED: 'We will get through this difficult time together' | Washington Mystics on WNBA season postponement
11 a.m.: About 93,000 people could become infected in D.C., Mayor Bowser and health officials project. A worst-case scenario would see 1,000 deaths.
9:15 a.m.: Virginia says more than 2,000 people have been sickened by the coronavirus as of April 3. The commonwealth reports 2,012 positive cases. Of those cases, 312 have required hospitalization and 46 people have died.
Thursday, April 2
9:23 p.m.: Loudoun County Public Schools said a transportation staff member who has supported the meal service program has tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member is self-isolating and last worked in the Potomac Falls/Dominion High School region on March 26.
7:13 p.m.: Gov. Ralph Northam said Virginia has received a Major Disaster Declaration to aid in the Commonwealth’s response to coronavirus.
7:01 p.m.: Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services announces four coronavirus-related deaths, for a total of six deaths in the County. They also said 10 nursing homes reporting cases of COVID-19 among staff or residents.
6:11 p.m.: The Prince George's County Department of Corrections says three inmates and one Correctional Officer tested positive for COVID-19.
6:08 p.m.: D.C. Department of Corrections said four more inmates tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total to 12 positive residents in DOC custody.
5:55 p.m.: A Giant Food employee at the Columbia Heights store tests positive for coronavirus. Three additional employees were asked to self-quarantine.
5:48 p.m.: A Prince George’s County police officer tested positive for coronavirus.
3 p.m.: Two more members of D.C. Fire and EMS test positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 23 positively-tested members.
11:30 a.m.: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said a COVID-19 testing site opens Friday at United Medical Center. The drive-through and walk-up facility is only open to D.C. residents with symptoms who are 65 and older, healthcare workers, first responders, and D.C. residents with underlying medical conditions. A hotline will be set up in the coming days so residents can call ahead and make an appointment.
10 a.m.: One more person has died in D.C. following a coronavirus diagnosis, health officials said, bringing the total number of deaths to 12. Positive cases in the District stand at 653, an increase of 67 cases since last report.
10 a.m.: More than 2,000 positive coronavirus cases reported Maryland. The state's total is 2,331 cases. The highest concentration of cases comes from Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
The state also announced 36 deaths as a result of the virus -- an increase of five deaths. Details on those deaths have not yet been released.
9 a.m.: Virginia reports a total of 1,706 cases of coronavirus in the commonwealth. Of those cases, 246 have required hospitalization. A total of 41 people have died as a result of the virus.
Wednesday, April 1:
7:16 p.m.: WHCA Board voted to remove a news outlet from the rotation for a seat in the briefing room after violating social distancing policy requests.
7 p.m.: Two more D.C. jail inmates test positive for the coronavirus. So far, eight inmates have tested positive for the virus.
6:40 p.m.: Six positive cases and one death were reported at a Frederick County nursing home, Frederick Health and Rehabilitation Center. It's the second death in the county.
2:30 p.m. Seven more members with D.C. Fire & EMS test positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 21.
2 p.m. Gov. Ralph Northam provides updates on coronavirus in the commonwealth, elaborating on his decision for a June 10 stay-at-home order and urging Virginians to fill out the Census. So far, there are 1,481 cases and 34 deaths in Virginia.
"I have always been under the model that you should expect the worst, but hope for the best," Northam said.
11:30 a.m. Fairfax County officials reporting three additional deaths due to complications of COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in the health district to five.
11:30 a.m. Mayor Muriel Bowser responds to questions about DOC inmate cases, saying six inmates tested positive at the D.C. detention center, and 88 are quarantined.
11 a.m. COVID-19 cases are almost at 600 in D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced 586 positive cases -- including 12 sworn MPD officers and at least 21 D.C. Fire & EMS -- and 11 deaths in the District.
Additionally, 154 officers and 177 other D.C. Fire & EMS workers are under quarantine, Bowser said.
10 a.m.: Maryland reports 31 deaths due to coronavirus -- an overnight increase of 13 people -- and 1,985 people sickened from the virus. 522 of those cases have required hospitalization.
9 a.m.: Virginia has 1,484 positive cases of coronavirus -- an increase of 234 cases since numbers were last reported on March 31. The state also reports a total of 34 people have died as a result of the virus.
8:30 a.m.: Correctional officers allege that DOC leaders are not accurately reporting the number of COVID-19 cases at the D.C. jail.
Tuesday, March 31
10:50 p.m.: D.C. officials confirm D.C. police and D.C. Fire & EMS each have more cases of the coronavirus within their departments. Four police officers and five fire and EMS workers tested positive for COVID-19.
7 p.m.: Pleasant View Nursing Home in Carroll County has lost five residents after they were diagnosed with coronavirus -- 77 of 95 residents tested positive.
11:30 a.m. Prince George's County reports its first positive COVID-19 case at their facility. The 29-year-old woman inmate has been quarantined in an isolation cell.
10 a.m.: Maryland reports 1,662 cases of the coronavirus and 18 deaths -- an increase of 249 cases and three deaths since numbers released on March 30. Details about the deaths have not been released.
9:30 a.m.: DC Department of Corrections reports its sixth positive COVID-19 case in DOC custody.
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: