DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a limited COVID-19 public health emergency that will remain in place through January 26, 2022.
The public health emergency went into effect on Tuesday, January 11 as per Bowser’s new order.
During the period, DC Health will have the chance to modify its policy including procedures, deadlines, and standards authorized to more effectively respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
The growing number of infections put a strain on the District’s hospitals and healthcare providers despite a major portion of the city’s population having been vaccinated against the infectious disease, according to the mayor’s order.
“The physical capacity of hospitals remains strong, but emergency rooms are overwhelmed with persons suffering from COVID-19 and persons who fear having COVID-19, causing long delays both for them and for other patients. Further, hospitals cannot use all their bed capacity due to staff shortages,” according to a statement from Bowser’s office.
Some hospitals have 25 percent of their staff on leave because of COVID-related reasons.