About Coronavirus 2020
Washingtonian is keeping you up to date on the coronavirus around DC.
This afternoon, President Donald Trump said Americans should avoid bars and restaurants for the next 15 days. He also recommended implementing remote learning environments, avoiding groups of more than ten people, and avoiding non-essential travel.
In a White House press conference, Trump shared that a Coronavirus vaccine has entered Phase 1 of clinical trials, and that researchers are working on an antiviral medication to help limit the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Currently, there is no cure for the disease.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the projected trajectory of the disease has it going into July and August, but that the current self-distancing measures would likely not last that long.
There have been rumors about Trump announcing a national shutdown. When asked about those rumors, Trump said he had no current plans to implement stricter measures nationwide. Fauci recommended that all bars and restaurants be closed, but Trump said there are no current plans for nationwide mandated closures. Trump also said he has no plans to postpone any upcoming elections.
These new measures are reflective of many precautions taken by local governments today. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced all DC restaurants and bars will be takeout or delivery only, effective 10 pm today. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, and the governors of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey announced similar measures.
On Sunday, Fauci appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and said he’d like to see more aggressive measures taken to slow the spread of the virus, including the possibility of a 14-day national shutdown.
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.
