Area Beaches, Public Park Services Closed
COVID-19 Cases Reach 1,682 in D.C., Md. and Va.
The novel coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. So far, 342 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in D.C. with 4 deaths, there have been 992 cases in Maryland with 10 deaths and 739 cases with 17 deaths in Virginia. Social distancing is recommended to help control its spread. Many cultural institutions, entertainment venues, schools and sporting events in the DMV are closing to protect their employees and the public. DC on Heels will update our list of closings and postponements daily as necessary, with the most current updates on top. You can see last week’s updates here.
March 29 update
Maryland state beaches were closed on Saturday. Playgrounds, picnic shelters and other areas in state parks are being cordoned off, visitor centers were closed and parking areas have been reduced to limit the number of visitors at one time. “National Resources Police and the Maryland Park Service are prepared to close or shut down any area of any park that gets overcrowded,” spokesman Mike Ricci tweeted. Virginia imposed similar restrictions on Friday, shuttering overnight facilities and restrooms at state parks through April 30. D.C.’s parks have been closed since March 21.
The National Park Service has closed facilities at its parks in the DMV including visitor centers, picnic areas, parking lots, roads, restrooms, playgrounds and water fountains. National parks are only performing functions that are essential to visitor and resource protection. Ranger programs have and permitted events have been canceled. Visitors should check individual park websites to check the status of the resources.
D.C.’s domestic violence cases have risen during the coronavirus pandemic as many people stay home, according to DC Safe, the largest crisis intervention agency in the city. “The traffic on our response line that helps survivors navigate these processes has doubled, said co-founder Natalia Otero. Those in need of services can call the local hotline at 1-844-443-5732 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
The Kennedy Center has furloughed all 96 members of the National Symphony Orchestra citing financial hardship during the coronavirus pandemic despite receiving $25 million in federal aid as part of the $2 trillion stimulus package. Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter told orchestra leaders Friday that musicians would receive their final paychecks on April 3. Rutter said salaries for the 96 musicians is a significant portion of the center’s payroll. “Without concerts and the corresponding ticket revenue, it is an unsustainable strategy to pay musicians to stay at home during this forced and still undefined quarantine period,” Rutter said in a statement to WAMU. The musicians’ union filed a grievance challenging the layoffs, saying the musicians’ contract requires six weeks notice.
A high school coach and counselor at a Hyattsville high school died after being diagnosed with COVID-19, according to school officials. Terrance Burke led the Wildcats boys basketball team at Northwestern High School in addition to serving as a guidance counselor. Burke coached the basketball team as recently as last month when the Wildcats played in the 2020 MPSSAA Boys Basketball State Championships.
March 28 update
Metro is running only 26 “lifeline” bus routes this weekend. Those routes include 16C, 28A, 29K, 29N, 30N, 30S, 54, 70, 83, 90, A6, B2, C4, D12, F4, H4, J2, K6, P12, REX, S4, V4, @4, X2, Y2 and Z8. Shuttles will run from the Friendship Heights Station to Sibley Hospital, from Dupont Station to Georgetown University Hospital and from New Carrollton to Prince George’s County Hospital. Metro warned bus and rail riders to expect 30 minute wait time. Subway service will operate from 8 a.m.-11 p.m. this weekend.
The D.C. Circulation has suspended late-night weekend service until further notice. The change affects service on the Georgetown-Union Station, Roslyn-Dupont Circle and Woodley Park-McPherson Square routes, which normally run until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturday. They will now run from 6 a.m.-midnight Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.-midnigh Saturday and Sunday.
Montgomery County restaurants can new sell cocktails to-go. On Thursday, the Montgomery County Liquor Board passed a temporary resolution allowing to-go sales of cocktails. Carryout beer and wine are already permitted. All alcohol must be sold with a takeout or delivered meal. To sell cocktails to-go, restaurants must already have a current on-premises Montgomery County alcohol license and must apply online to receive permission. If approved, businesses may sell alcohol through curbside pickup, carryout or delivery to county addressing using their own staff. Maryland law prohibits the deliver of alcohol by a third party. The order expires when the governor’s emergency closure of restaurants ends.
The D.C. Board of Elections is encouraging residents to request mail ballots for the June 2 primary and the June 16 special election in Ward 2, calling it the safest choice in light of the social distancing measures due to the coronavirus outbreak. If someone can’t vote by mail, like if they are using same-day voter registration, board chairman Michael Bennett said 20 voting center will be open in the city, with a least two in each ward. The voting center will be open May 22-Juen 2 for the primary and June 12-16 for the special election. Voters can drop off ballots regardless of which precinct they are registered in. Request mail ballots online, by email or by calling 202-727-2525. Ballots will be mailed beginning May 1 and must be received back at least 7 days before the election.
Virginia’s farmers markets will reopen this weekend with some restrictions. New guidelines from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says that markets shouldn’t set up booths or encourage on-site browsing, but should set up ways for customers to order ahead online or by telephone. If that isn’t feasible, they should have a way of taking orders that doesn’t include browsing from tent to tent. The department also recommends setting up curbside pick-up to keep customers in their cars. In Arlington County, markets will restrict access to 10 people at a time to preserve social distancing. Some markets have already set up online ordering platforms.
George Valentine, the deputy director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel, died from COVID-19 on Friday. For more than 16 years, he was the city’s Deputy Attorney General before moving to the mayor’s legal team last year. He was admitted to an area hospital on Wednesday. The city was working on contact tracing, according to the mayor.
Amtrak has suspended all high-speed Acela trains between D.C. and Boston. Northeast Regional trains are still operating on a reduced schedule. Amtrak has also accepting cash payments on train and in stations to minimize contact between employees and passengers and has suspended café service on all trains.
The annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the Wall will only be online this year, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The ceremony will be webcast at 1 p.m. on May 25.
March 27 update
The United States is now the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, the U.S. now has 85,653 confirmed cases. China, where the virus began, has 81,782 confirmed cases and Italy has 80,589 confirmed cases.
Maryland reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases in the state, bringing its total confirmed cases to 580. Gov. Larry Hogan said the state was seeing an “unprecedented increase” in the number of residents applying for unemployment as non-essential businesses have been ordered to close. “This battle is going to be much harder, take much longer and be much worse than almost anyone comprehends,” Hogan tweeted. He said he expects the number of cases to rapidly and dramatically increase in the coming days.
Maryland is closing child care centers starting Friday. Karen Salmon, state superintendent of schools, said child care programs must close by the end of the day Friday in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The announcement came a day after she said child care facilities could remain open. Programs serving essential personnel like health care works may reopen Monday if they undergo a thorough cleaning over the weekend. Child care provided by family, friends or neighbors for five or fewer children is also exempt.
An employee of the Loudoun County Public Schools has died from the coronavirus. Superintendent Eric Williams said the woman in her 70s was a staff member but did not disclose her identity or where she worked. She died Wednesday night.
Metro closed the Van Ness and Tenleytown stations after a contractor who had done work overnight tested positive for COVID-19. WMATA doesn’t believe the contractor had any contact with riders. There was no word on whether the stations would reopen Friday.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine on Thursday said he sent cease-and-desist letters to five retailers for “credible allegations of price gouging.” The retailers included three convenience stores, one beauty supply store and a D.C.-based seller on Amazon. In one case, Racine alleges that a Southwest convenience store increased the price of a spray can of Lysol to $19.99, while one in Northwest hiked the price of 16-ouce bottles of rubbing alcohol to $9.99. He also said that the third-party seller on Amazon doubled the price on several products, including hand sanitizer. It is illegal to increase the price of goods and services, known as price gouging, during a declared state of emergency. Stockpiling goods is also illegal. The penalty for price gouging in the District is $5,000 per violation.
A week after the University System of Maryland announced that is 12 universities including the University of Maryland and Bowie State University will finish their spring semesters online, the board of regents voted unanimously to allow its chancellor to approve plans for partial refunds of student fees. On Thursday, Chancellor Jay Perman said he and the university presidents “want to make more specific decisions around these refunds very soon. Individual campuses will make announcements about their refund processes shortly. In addition to room and board, prorated refunds for parking fees and athletics fees were mentioned specifically when board Chair Linda Gooden present the motion for a vote, which was unanimous in favor.
The deadline for getting a REAL ID-compliant identification has been pushed back a year to Oct. 1, 2021. In a statement, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said the delay was in response to the coronavirus pandemic. REAL IDs are required under the REAL ID Act, which Congress passed in 2005. The act requires that state-issued IDs meet minimum security standards before they can be used to enter federal facilities and nuclear power plants or board airplanes.
March 26 update
Public schools in Maryland will remain closed through April 24, State Superintendent Karen Salmon announced Wednesday. She said school systems will resume instruction next week, enacting “continuous learning plans” and encouraging remote learning for districts that can do so. She also promised more information in the coming days on a statewide plan to maintain standards and expectations for every student. She said daycare centers will stay open.
Montgomery County Public Schools will distribute laptops to students who don’t have access to a computer at home. The school system will begin issuing Chromebooks to students Thursday to ensure “student will real need” have access to the devices, according to superintendent Jack R. Smith.
D.C. reported its third coronavirus-related death on Wednesday evening. It was a 75-year-old woman with underlying health conditions who was admitted to the hospital earlier in the day. The city reported 48 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Metro suddenly canceled a number of Northern Virginia bus routes Wednesday morning in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County. Canceled routes include 10A, 10N, 22A, 22C and 22F to the Pentagon, 5A to Dulles International Airport and some routes serving Fair Oakes, Dun Loring, Annandale and Seven Corners.
The D.C. Department of Transportation has designated 20 locations around the city where residents and delivery workers can stand their vehicles to pick up takeout orders. The zones will last through the state of emergency. Restaurant owners can apply online for special permits in the zone.
Anyone who visited Murphy’s Irish Pub in Old Town Alexandria on March 10, 14 or 15 are being told to self-quarantine. A person in the pub on those days, who is not an Alexandria resident, tested positive for the coronavirus and may have exposed others at the pub. People who may have been exposed should call the city health department’s COVID-19 information line for guidance at 703-746-4988 between 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
453128724 2019 System Map COVID 19 Stations FINAL by DCOH Editor on Scribd
March 25 update
Metro will close an additional 17 stations beginning Thursday in a move to conserve cleaning supplies and reduce staff. They will join the Smithsonian and Arlington Cemetery stations, which closed last week. WMATA said Metrorail ridership is down 90%. The subway system will also close some entrances at remaining station. The steps will help reduce the risk of exposure to employees and save critical cleaning supplies for the remaining stations. The stations that will close are Federal Center SW, Federal Triangle, Mount Vernon Square, Judiciary Square, Archives, Greensboro, Eisenhower Avenue, Virginia Square, Cleveland Park, Grosvenor-Strathmore, Cheverly, Clarendon, East Falls Church, College Park, McLean, Morgan Boulevard and Van Dorn Street. Trains will continue to run through the stations, but will not stop. Entrances that will be shuttered are Anacostia (North), Farragut North (L and Connecticut), Dupont Circle (South), Metro Center (12th and F), King Street (North), National Airport (North), U Street (U and Vermont), Gallery Place (Ninth and G), L’Enfant Plaza (Constitution Center) and Friendship Heights (Jenifer Street).
Inova Health will open three drive-up “respiratory clinics” at its urgent care centers in North Arlington, Tysons and Dulles South to collect COVID-19 samples beginning Wednesday. The clinics are open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Patients can get tested if they have a referral from their doctor or can be evaluated at the clinics to determine if they need a test. Results will take 4-7 days.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser added personal services like hair salons, tattoo parlors, tanning studios and barbershops to the list of nonessential business required to close. Retail clothing stores and furniture stores must also close, but big box stores like Target and Walmart may remain open. The stores must close beginning at 10 p.m. Thursday. The city has already shut down gyms, spas, night clubs, meeting halls, libraries and senior centers. “We have virtually shut down economic activity in our city,” Bowser said in a Tuesday press conference. “That is how we’ll flatten the curve.”
Beginning today, D.C. will close the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Department of Motor Vehicles and Department of Transportation sites. DMV locations will no longer be open, but most services are available online. It plans to reopen ticket adjudication on April 27 and all other in-person services on April 28. All DMV-issued documents, including licenses, vehicle registration, ticket payments, inspections and ticket adjudication responses due between March 1 and April 28 have been extended until May 15. DCRA has closed its Permit, Business License, Residential Center and Home Owner center until April 27. Professional licenses set to expire during the state of emergency will get a 45-day extension after it ends.
Maryland recorded it fourth coronavirus-related death on Tuesday. The man was a Prince George’s County resident in his 60 who suffered underlying medical conditions. This is the second Prince George’s County resident to die from the illness.
High school seniors will graduate on time in Virginia, despite public and private schools being closed for the rest of the school year, the state Department of Education said. The department has asked educators to teach students the material they were supposed to learn through the end of the year, but in a memo to school officials Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane recommended students not be given grades. To catch students up, Lane suggested including online instruction, summer classes and an extended 2020-21 school year that would include missed material. The department waived several requirements such as completing all the courses required for graduation, passing mandatory state testing, and obtaining certain career and technical education credentials.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture closed the grounds and outdoor gardens at the National Arboretum on Tuesday until further notice to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. The visitor center and National Bonsai & Penjing Museum were closed on March 14.
Fairfax County will close all county buildings to the public beginning at 5 p.m. March 27. However, the government will remain open for business online and by phone and mail. The Office of Elections will allow voters in Vienna and Clifton to turn in absentee ballots curbside at the county government center. All county parks and amenities, except for trails, were closed on Tuesday.
This year’s Funk Parade has been canceled due to D.C.’s restrictions on mass gatherings. The annual event was scheduled for May 9. It typically brings thousands of people to the U Street and Shaw neighborhoods for a parade, marching band competition and live performances. “It is difficult for us to continue planning for, and pouring resources into, our annual festival, which may be canceled due to continuing public health concerns,” said Jeffrey Tribble Jr. of The MusicianShip, the group than sponsors the parade.
The 2020 Summer Olympics will be postponed until 2021. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Birch and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the delay during a conference call Tuesday morning. The games will be rescheduled for next summer to safeguard the health of the athletes and give them equal time to prepare. The games will still be called the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
March 24 update
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered restaurants to close their dining rooms, shuttered recreational businesses and announced schools would be closed until the end of the academic year in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus. Starting at midnight Tuesday, restaurants can remain open for carryout, curbside pickup and delivery only. Grocery stores, banks and pharmacies can remain open, but should adhere to social distancing and sanitizing directives.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered all nonessential companies in the state to close as of 5 p.m. Monday. The action came as Hogan condemned some Marylanders for engaging in “irresponsible and reckless behavior” by gathering in large crowds in violation of an order limiting groups to 10. He said the closure of additional businesses, including retail stores that had been allowed to remain open, was necessary to “slow the spread” of COVID-19. The order, which takes effect at 5 p.m. today, does not include essential or critical industries as defined by the federal government: health care, law enforcement, emergency workers, food, energy, water, transportation, public works, communications, government, critical manufacturing, financial services, chemicals and defense. Restaurant carryouts, liquor stores and day care centers are among the businesses that can remain open. Big box stores can also remain open.
Children’s National Hospital has opened the first drive-up COVID-19 test site just for kids. It is only for children exhibiting coronavirus symptom, but not ill enough to be admitted to the hospital. The site is in a parking lot of Trinity Washington University. Children and young adults through age 22 may use the testing site, but must have symptoms and a doctor’s referral. Parents can drive up with their kids in the car and medical professional will swab them and send the sample to a private lab. The site can test between 80-100 kids a day.
Metro closed the Vienna and Dun Loring stations Monday afternoon over concerns about the coronavirus. The stations were closed after officials received a report of a sick employee at the Vienna station.
The Baltimore Convention Center and the adjacent city-owned Hilton Hotel near Inner Harbor will open as a field hospital to accommodate a surge in patients amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday. The hospital will be run in a joint partnership between the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine. The sites are being set up by the Maryland National Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to provide at least 250 beds for the sites. Hogan did not say when the facility was expected to open. The plan for more beds includes re-opening the Laurel hospital, which will be able to accommodate 135 patients. The state has five converted vehicle emission inspection centers ready to open as soon as the state secures testing kits, protective equipment and lab capability. Also, the Prince George’s County Health Department is working with the state to set up a drive-through screening station at FedEx Field in Landover.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser asked District residents to continue staying home and avoiding crowds. The appeal came a day after Bowser ordered the National Guard and D.C. police to block roads near the National Mall and Tidal Basin in an attempt to limit large crowds visiting the cherry blossoms. But Bowser stopped short of issuing a “shelter-in-place” order that would more severely restrict public life.
D.C. has joined neighboring states and the federal government in extending income tax deadlines. Individuals and businesses have until July 15 to file and pay their taxes.
Arlington County on Monday closed all local parks and recreational facilities. All fields, playgrounds, restrooms, tracks, dog parks and athletic parks are closed. Trails and community gardens remain open. Fairfax County also closed all playgrounds, skate parks and restrooms until further notice. D.C. and Alexandria closed park facilities last week. Montgomery County and Prince George’s County are limiting gatherings to 10 people.
Fairfax Connector bus riders should board and exit buses through the rear door beginning Tuesday. Officials hope to distance riders and drivers. It also means fares will not be collected as the equipment is at the front of the bus. Wheelchair users can still board at the front of the bus.
Ocean City, Md., is closing its beach and boardwalk until at least April 15. “At this time, we continue to request that visitors postpone traveling to Ocean City and that our non-resident property owner refrain from traveling to Ocean City as well,” said Mayor Rick Meehan.
President Donald Trump announced that the implementation of Real ID will be delayed since most state’s motor vehicle departments are closed. Americans were scheduled to have a Real ID verified license with enhanced security features to board domestic flights and enter federal building beginning Oct. 1. Trump said a new date will be announced soon.
International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA Today on Monday afternoon the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are going to be postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic. He told the newspaper that postponement has been decided, but when they will be held has not been decided. Neither the IOC nor the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee had announced a postponement as of Monday afternoon.
Mosaic Theater Company has postponed the remainder of its 2019-20 season. Inherit the Windbag and The Till Trilogy will be moved to the 2020-21 season.
The Edlavitch D.C. Jewish Community Center will remain closed until at least April 26. The closure includes Theater J, the fitness center and preschool. The center is offering classes and programs online for all ages including a Passover seder that will be hosted on Zoom.
March 23 update
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered all nonessential companies in the state to close as of 5 p.m. Monday. The action came as Hogan condemned some Marylanders for engaging in “irresponsible and reckless behavior” by gathering in large crowds in violation of an order limiting groups to 10. He said the closure of additional businesses, including retail stores that had been allowed to remain open, was necessary to “slow the spread” of COVID-19. The order, which takes effect at 5 p.m. today, does not include essential or critical industries as defined by the federal government: health care, law enforcement, emergency workers, food, energy, water, transportation, public works, communications, government, critical manufacturing, financial services, chemicals and defense. Restaurant carryouts, liquor stores and day care centers are among the businesses that can remain open. Big box stores can also remain open.
To deter visitors from visiting the cherry blossoms on Monday and maintain social distancing, the Metropolitan Police Department will close several streets around the Tidal Basin. Closures from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. include Memorial Bridge, Lincoln Memorial Circle, Potomac River Freeways exits to Ohio Drive and Independence Avenue, Rock Creek Parkway/Potomac Parkway Drive between Virginia Avenue and Independence Avenue, Independence Avenue between Ohio Drive and 14th Street SW, 23rd Street between Constitution Avenue and Lincoln Memorial Circle, Henry Bacon Drive between Constitution Avenue and Lincoln Memorial Circle, 17th Street between Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW, 15th Street between Constitution Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW, Maine Avenue between Independence and 12th Street SW, and all vehicular exits to East Potomac and West Potomac parks. Also, the city is using police and the D.C. National Guard to restrict pedestrian traffic around the Tidal Basin including the Jefferson Memorial and National Mall in the area from 14th Street to 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue to Independence Avenue.
D.C. reported is second coronavirus-related death on Sunday, a 65-year-old woman with underlying health conditions who died Saturday night. Maryland and Virginia each had their third death from the virus the same day. COVID-19 has claimed seven lives in the DMV.
Beginning Tuesday, passengers will only be allowed to board Metrobuses through the rear doors, according to WMATA. People in wheelchairs will still be able to board using the ramp at the front door. Riders won’t have to tap their SmarTrip card or pay cash since the fare machines are at the front of the bus. WMATA hopes that will keep its bus drivers socially-distant from passengers. “Essentially, bus travel will be free during that time,” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld wrote to employees. Metro was resuming Sunday bus service, but plans to run only 20 lines again next weekend, Wiedefeld wrote. Trains will run every 20 minutes, except for every 15 minutes on the Red Line.
Olympic officials said Sunday they are considering postponing the Summer Games set to take place in Tokyo. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympics Committee, said canceling the games altogether is not an option and vowed that a final decision on postponement would be made within the next four weeks. The Canadian Olympic Committee said it would not send its athletes to compete in Tokyo this summer. Canada is the first country to refuse to participate in these Summer Olympics.
The District’s first coronavirus was John-Sebastian Laird-Hammond, a Catholic friar at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America. Laird-Hammond, 59, worked at the monastery for decades and also had been treaded for leukemia.
If your event is canceled or postponed, or you know of one that is, let us know at dcoheditor(at)gmail(dot)com.
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.