Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced Friday that all visitors arriving in the District on non-essential business from critical areas will now be required to remain in quarantine for 14 days, as the country continues to see an increase in cases of COVID-19.
The restriction takes effect on Monday and affects DC residents traveling to places that are an access point for the virus, as well as non-DC residents traveling from that area.
A full list of hotspots will be released Monday when the order takes effect, although Bowser said neighboring states Virginia and Maryland will be exempt from the measure.
“We know, unfortunately, that there are states that are seeing significant spikes in new cases,” Bowser said during a press conference. “We know that there are places where people are not being so cautious or making the sacrifices that we are making here in Washington, DC”
College students returning to a DC campus must also be quarantined for 14 days if traveling from an access point.
The travel notice comes after Bowser made it mandatory on Wednesday that all people over the age of 3 in DC wear a mask while in public. Those who violate the mandate could be fined up to $ 1,000.
It is unclear how exactly the quarantine will be applied. When asked about this, Bowser replied, “People should … monitor their activities and do what is right for their neighbors and the District.”
The District reported 78 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and no deaths, but Bowser at the press conference noted that parts of the phase 2 reopening strategy could be re-analyzed as the transmission rate from the community of the city is increasing.
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