WASHINGTON — The District's roads are noticeably empty as hundreds of thousands of DMV residents continue to practice social distancing due to the coronavirus' spread.
One of the most noticeable changes can be seen in just how long it takes to get from one side of D.C. to another.
WUSA9's John Henry hopped in a car at the corner of Idaho and Wisconsin avenues in upper Northwest D.C. at 4:15 pm. It took him exactly 30 minutes to get to the Costco in Northeast D.C. off Route 50. Around that time of day, a similar commute can take well over an hour.
After that, John drove from the Costco back to Idaho and Wisconsin avenues at 5:20 pm. However, the return trip was different. He decided to take the Baltimore Washington Parkway and the Beltway to make his way back to the beginning of the trip. That commute took 50 minutes. On a normal day, the same trip could be more than an hour-and-a-half.
A few other neighborhoods around D.C. were noticeably bare, too.
Georgetown, Chinatown and the H Street NE corridor were all empty after 7:30 p.m.
But, that is according to plan.
District leaders have preached the need for residents to stay indoors, away from groups as the community continues to do everything it can to prevent the coronavirus from spreading elsewhere around the region.
If you absolutely do have to go outside, make sure to practice safe driving on area roads. There were a few more drivers on the beltway going above the speed limit due to the lack of traffic Friday evening.