Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday she is extending the city's stay-at-home order through June 8.
The mayor's original orders were set to expire on Friday, but Bowser said Wednesday the district was still "not quite ready" to begin a phased reopening. Specifically, she said the city needs to meet certain benchmarks, including a sustained two-week decrease in community spread, as well as more testing for COVID-19 before any orders are lifted.
Bowser said she can lift the order sooner if things improve before June 8. But she emphasized that that decision would be based on the data and advice she receives from health officials. She referenced Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.
"We know, and everybody heard Dr. Fauci tell the Senate committee yesterday that rushing to reopen can have tragic results," Bowser said. "We are eager to get our economy turned on, get people back to work, get kids back to school, but we know a second outbreak could be even worse."
