D.C. is in a state of emergency as coronavirus continues to infect more people.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency and a public health emergency on Wednesday as the number of people in the district who tested positive for COVID-19 rose to 10.
“We’re not in a vacuum,” Bowser said in a news conference. “Our country is experiencing this, and our world is experiencing this.”
The declaration allows the district to request federal funds to address the public health crisis further and gives the mayor the ability to order quarantines without the approval of a court.
LIVE: Providing an update on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the District. For a stream with captions visit https://t.co/44CwI7bWqr. To learn more visit https://t.co/MEWs6uPfsI. https://t.co/Z3TuyCZEHf
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) March 11, 2020
The city also recommended that all events that involve gatherings of 1,000 or more be canceled.
COVID-19 cases have appeared in every continent, except Antarctica. Nearly 125,000 people have tested positive for the virus around the world, killing at least 4,592 people. In the United States, more than 1,100 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and 32 patients have died. The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global pandemic on Wednesday.
