D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will allow restaurants, hair salons and some other businesses to slowly begin to reopen to customers Friday, now that the District has hit some of the benchmarks identified by public health officials indicating the coronavirus outbreak is slowing.
Bowser announced Wednesday that many District eateries will be able to allow limited outdoor dining by the end of the week, as the city enters the first phase of a cautious reopening plan. Haircuts will also be allowed once more, by appointment only, and the city will continue allowing retailers to offer curbside pickup for remote orders.
Gatherings of up to 10 people will be permitted, though generally discouraged. Bowser had previously directed residents to stay home if at all possible, and she still wants to see people wear masks and stay six feet apart when they leave home. Dog parks, golf courses, parks, tennis courts and tracks and fields will also reopen, but playgrounds, pools and other recreation facilities will remain closed.
Bowser described her new guidance for the city as essentially “stay-at-home lite,” noting that the virus still poses a risk to residents and she fully expects to see more infections as people are allowed to move about the city more freely.
Click here to read the rest article written by Alex Koma over at the Washington Business Journal