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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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.
Monday, May 25:
- Health officials in Northern Virginia say the region has not met all reopening criteria
- DC reports 115 new cases of COVID-19 and 8 new deaths, bringing the District's totals to 8,225 positive cases and 440 deaths. Bowser says the city is still on track for Phase 1 reopening this week.
- Maryland reports 839 new cases of COVID-19 and 35 new deaths, bringing the state's total number of cases to 47,152.
- Virginia sees a spike in the number of cases over the weekend, reporting 1,438 new cases of coronavirus.
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: