DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD Chief Peter Newsham received coronavirus tests on Wednesday, after days of street protests around the city put many people at risk of exposure.
Bowser received the coronavirus test at a facility in the Anacostia neighborhood, the third test she has had since the beginning of the pandemic. The first two tests came back negative.
“I’m getting tested today because I have been out and about, probably more than I have been and I expect to be out and about more because we are in Phase One and that is why I am getting tested,” the mayor explained. “I am an essential worker. I have been exposed throughout the pandemic and I have been tested through the pandemic.”
She also advised anyone who took part in the recent police violence protests to take a test for the infectious disease.
There's multiple locations across the District where you can get a free, Coronavirus (COVID-19) test. Visit https://t.co/aSZpd6Vb8R to find your nearest location. pic.twitter.com/gjvSUzFWHJ
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) June 8, 2020
Bowser said that she was feeling great, adding that she also wanted to show the public how easy it was to get tested without an appointment at any testing site in the District.
DC Police Chief Newsham was also reportedly tested for COVID-19.
Even though there has been a continuing decline in the District’s community spread, Bowser wants to observe a drop for consecutive 14 days before moving on to Phase Two of the reopening process. The city has seen a decrease for nine days in a row in the current first phase.
The earliest DC could move into Phase Two would be June 19, according to Bowser, who cited the views of Dr. LaQuandra S. Nesbitt, Director of the DC Department of Health, at a press conference last week.
Nesbitt recently explained that four key metrics, including a 14-day decrease in community spread, need to be met before starting Phase Two.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases in the District is nearing 10,000, while the death toll has hit almost 500.