US capital orders self-quarantine for hot spot visitors

'When people travel in and out of DC, from these places, that can put our community's health at risk," says mayor

WASHINGTON:

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered Friday all visitors on non-essential travel coming from coronavirus hot spots to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the nation's capital.

"We know, unfortunately, that there are states that are seeing significant spikes in new cases," Bowser said during a coronavirus news briefing. "We know that there are places where people are not being as cautious, or making the sacrifices that we're making here in DC. And unfortunately when people travel in and out of DC from these places, that can put our community's health at risk."

The order, which goes into effect Monday, applies to all non-essential travelers coming from "high-risk areas." People who have to go on essential travel should only leave home to perform essential duties for the 14 days after they arrive, the order further stipulates.

The “high-risk areas” are not named in the order, but it says they will be identified as "locations where the seven (7)-day moving average daily new Covid-19 case rate is ten (10) or more per one hundred thousand (100,000) persons."

The DC Department of Health will post a list of those areas on Monday, and will update the list every two weeks. Maryland and Virginia are exempt, likely because of the high-level of essential travel between the states and the capital.

The order will be effective through Oct 9.

Washington, DC has seen rising numbers of cases this week, recording 78 on Thursday, raising its seven-day average to 76, the highest since June 8, according to official data. In all, 581 people have died in the district.

Bowser's order goes into effect Monday. It is the second she issued this week after mandating everyone must don a mask after leaving their home in a bid to tamp down the spike in cases.