As the number of COVID-19 cases in Maryland, Virginia and the District continued to mount, government officials, employers, schools — and even the storied Gridiron Club — were ducking and covering Tuesday in an effort to slow the spread and limit the toll of the epidemic.
Through early Tuesday evening, there were nine confirmed cases in Maryland: five in Montgomery County, three in Prince George’s County and one in Hartford County. There are four presumptive cases in the District; and Virginia has eight confirmed cases across the state — in Fort Belvoir, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Virginia Beach, Arlington County, Quantico and Spotsylvania County.
The District’s American University and the University of Maryland both announced a shift to online classes only after spring break, and the Securities and Exchange Commission became one of the first federal agencies to urge employees to telework after an employee was informed he might have the COVID-19 flu. Fairfax County Public Schools officials announced that they will close on March 16 for a staff development day for teachers “to prepare for the possibility of distance learning in the event of a school closure,”
One telling sign of the local impact came when, for the first time since World War II, the 135-year-old Gridiron Club and Foundation cancelled its annual white-tie dinner for media and politicos. White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien was set to be a featured speaker at the March 15 event.
“We’ve had the dinner in wartime, we’ve had it amid civil strife, we’ve had it amidst all kinds of upheaval and turmoil,” Gridiron President Craig Gilbert told Politico. “But this was a different case because it just raised health issues, you know, issues of public health. And we didn’t want to put people at risk.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Tuesday she would follow the recommendations of the city’s Department of Health on the prospects for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, adding that “that review is ongoing.”
A number of events in the region have already been cancelled, including the D.C. Environmental Film Festival, the National Bike Summit in Arlington and the Nowruz Festival marking the Persian New Year in Tysons Corner.
“This problem continues to evolve and escalate rapidly,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan at a Tuesday briefing in Annapolis. “Information is changing not only on a daily, but on an hourly, and almost minute-by-minute basis. I am fully committed to being as transparent as possible by providing the facts and keeping Marylanders informed.”
Because older people and people with underlying health conditions are the most vulnerable, the Republican governor said he wants nursing homes and long-term care facilities to take particular precautions. Mr. Hogan said all nursing homes are to limit the visitors and set up online and phone communications for residents, while staff will be restricted from international travel.
Dr. LaQuandra S. Nesbitt, director of District’s Department of Health, said there is still a low risk to the general public of contracting COVID-19 and she did not recommend that elderly individuals avoid crowds and gatherings.
However, Miss Bowser has put together task forces to focus on the needs of different communities should the outbreak continue to spread.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said the state has activated public health emergency leave for state employees who have recently traveled to high-risk areas for coronavirus.
“We encourage private businesses to do the same and explore telework options,” the Democratic governor said.
Loudoun County announced its first case of COVID-19, a patient who contracted the virus from the infection centered at Christ Church in Georgetown.
County officials said risk in the county remains low, but again reminded the public to wash their hands and stay home if feeling unwell, but that there was no need to stock up on excess supplies like soap, sanitizer and toilet paper.
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