There has been a spike in coronavirus cases in Washington, DC, according to data from the DC Department of Health. The increase could represent a setback for the criteria that Mayor Muriel Bowser is using to decide when the city will begin the first phase of its reopening.
Until this weekend, Washington has had 11 days of decline in the spread of the coronavirus community. The city said it needed 14 days of decline as a necessary measure before moving on to Phase 1 of the reopening. Sunday would have been the 13th day of decline – but instead there has been a small spike in the past two days.
Since the peak was small, the DC Department of Health said Sunday that it will consider it a restoration on day 11 of the decline because the number of cases was less than the standard deviation department’s calculation for the number of cases.
“We don’t have to go to day zero,” said director of the DC Department of Health, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, at a press conference.
Bowser said last week that Washington could begin the first phase of its reopening on Friday May 29, excluding any spikes in the cases.
With this increase in cases, DC may still have 14 days of decline before potentially reopening this Friday. Nesbitt does not comment on whether this restoration affects whether Washington can begin reopening.
There are two other factors for reopening: a positivity rate of less than 20% and a hospital capacity of less than 80%. As of Sunday, the positivity rate is 19% and hospital capacity 74%.
Coffee enthusiast. Travel scholar. Infuriatingly humble zombie fanatic. Thinker. Professional twitter evangelist.
