WASHINGTON — The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) remains present around the country, as well as here in the DMV. Things like masks and social distancing are still important, but our counties and communities have begun to reopen.
This blog details the latest updates on our Road to Recovery in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Check-in each day for what’s new, where each part of the DMV is at in its phased reopening plan and what direction the coronavirus trend is headed.
Have a question? Text it to us at 202-895-5599.
Updates on coronavirus cases come from health departments between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. every day.
Reopening the DMV
.The latest in reopening news:
- Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said the jurisdiction will remain in Phase 2 of reopening. Here's the latest.
- Virginia has begun Phase 3 of reopening. More details about Phase III in Virginia here.
- A last-minute change prohibits bar seating in Phase 3 of Virginia's reopening. More details here.
- D.C. is now in Phase II of reopening. It means restaurants and non-essential retail can open indoors at 50% capacity and gyms and yoga studios can reopen with restrictions. Full details on what Phase II means in D.C. here.
- Metro has reopened some stops. Here's what you need to know.
- All of Maryland is now in Phase II, and the state's largest casino, MGM National Harbor, has reopened.
- Amusement parks have begun declaring opening dates. Click here for more on those.
Tracking the Coronavirus
- For the first time since early June, D.C. is on a slight upward trend, with three of the last four days reporting above-average case counts.
- For the third time in a month, D.C. reported 0 new deaths from the coronavirus on Friday. D.C. coronavirus live updates
- Maryland has now been on an upward trend in new cases for 9 consecutive days.
- The trend in daily deaths in Maryland, despite a spike on Tuesday, has remained on a downward trend since late May. Maryland coronavirus live updates
- Virginia reported 943 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday – its highest single-day count since June 7 and a 45% increase over its 7-day average.
- Virginia has now been on an upward trend in new cases for 19 days. Virginia coronavirus live updates
Thursday, July 9:
- D.C. reported 73 new cases on Wednesday – it’s highest single-day total in more than a month.
- Maryland has now been on a slight upward trend in coronavirus cases for more than a week.
- On Wednesday, Maryland reported 9 new deaths from the coronavirus, which is a return to the norm after Tuesday’s above-average count.
- On Wednesday, Virginia reported 635 new cases of the coronavirus. The commonwealth has now reported more than 600 cases a day for five of the past seven days.
- Discounting the depressed reporting numbers from the holiday weekend, daily deaths in Virginia have now been on an upward trend for two weeks. As of Wednesday, the commonwealth was averaging between five to nine more deaths a day from the virus than it was a month ago.
Wednesday, July 8:
- D.C. reported 73 new cases on Wednesday – it’s highest single-day total in more than a month.
- Maryland has now been on a slight upward trend in coronavirus cases for more than a week.
- On Wednesday, Maryland reported 9 new deaths from the coronavirus, which is a return to the norm after Tuesday’s above-average count.
- On Wednesday, Virginia reported 635 new cases of the coronavirus. The commonwealth has now reported more than 600 cases a day for five of the past seven days.
- Discounting the depressed reporting numbers from the holiday weekend, daily deaths in Virginia have now been on an upward trend for two weeks. As of Wednesday, the commonwealth was averaging between five to nine more deaths a day from the virus than it was a month ago.
Tuesday, July 7:
- D.C. reported 54 new cases on Tuesday – its highest single-day total in 19 days. Because of the Fourth of July weekend, this could be at least partly attributable to a delay in reporting.
- Ward 7 became the city’s fifth Ward on Tuesday to reach 1,500 cases of the coronavirus.
- Prince George’s County, Maryland, has now reported more than 19,000 cases of the coronavirus and nearly 700 deaths related to it. That’s higher than the case counts of 20 states, including Kentucky, New Mexico and Oregon.
- Maryland reported 28 new deaths from the coronavirus on Tuesday – its highest single-day death count since June 16. Below-average death counts on Sunday and especially Monday may indicate this is more reflective of a lag in reporting than a sudden increase in deaths, however.
- On Tuesday, for the fourth time in five days Virginia reported more than 600 new cases of the coronavirus. The state has been averaging below 600 new cases a day for 24 days, but is now one more day above 600 cases from losing that streak.
- Whether or not Monday’s report of 0 new deaths in Virginia was accurate or not, it was not the start of a trend. The commonwealth reported 28 new deaths on Tuesday – a return to the upward trend Virginia has been on since June 20.
- Daily cases in Virginia have now been on a slight upward trend for 10 consecutive days.
Monday, July 6:
- D.C. is now averaging just 1 new death from the coronavirus a day. That’s a third of the daily rate from a month ago.
- The District has been averaging around 30 new cases a day for nearly two weeks. It began June averaging more than 90 new cases a day.
- Maryland has dropped from being one of the top 10 states in the nation for coronavirus cases to 13th place – largely as a result of recent case increases in North Caroline and Arizona. Maryland also now ranks 11th for cases per capita.
- Montgomery County, Maryland, has now reported more than 15,000 cases of the coronavirus and more than 750 deaths.
- Virginia, which was previously among the top 10 states for coronavirus cases, now ranks 14th in the U.S. Virginia ranks 22nd for cases per capita.
- Between Friday and Sunday Virginia reported more than 600 new cases each day, and a total of 716 on Saturday – the highest single-day total in a month.
Sunday, July 5:
- Maryland's statewide positivity rate continues to be below 5%, a key metric in reopening.
- In Virginia, 639 confirmed cases of the virus are reported, bringing the total to just under 66,000.
- The Maryland Department of Health reports a total of 291 new cases, one of the lowest it's seen in two weeks.
- The District reports two additional deaths from the virus, bringing the total to 559.
Saturday, July 4:
- Over 300,000 masks will be available for Saturday's Salute to America firework display and celebration on the National Mall. On Saturday, the District reported 2 deaths in the District, bringing the total to 557.
- Maryland reports its lowest single-day test positivity, with 380 new cases reported on the Fourth of July.
- In Virginia, 716 cases of the virus are reported. The total for the commonwealth is now at 65,109 with 4 new deaths reported.
Friday, July 3:
- On Friday, the District reported 45 new cases of the coronavirus. That’s its highest single-day total in two weeks.
- D.C. has lost some ground on its doubling time, having sped back up from its slowest point of 228 days on June 28 to 191 days as of Friday.
- The District has seen day-to-day increases in new cases in five of the past seven days.
- Despite that, D.C.’s running seven-day average remains where it was in late March. It’s down more than 80% from its peak in May.
- Maryland reported 538 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday – its highest single-day total in 15 days.
- Maryland has also seen its doubling time speed up by 20% from its slowest point on June 22. It’s now at a little more than 100 days.
- Maryland’s Department of Health says the state has now conducted nearly 700,000 COVID-19 tests. The state’s percent positivity as of Friday was less than 5%.
- The number of ICU beds in use for coronavirus patients has declined by more than 75% since mid-May. As of Friday, Maryland says 143 such beds remain in use related to COVID-19.
- Virginia’s seven-day moving average for new cases is now up 10% from its lowest point on June 21. Over the past week the commonwealth has average 546 new cases a day.
- Virginia’s daily deaths from the coronavirus have now been on an upward trend for 9 days.
Thursday, July 2:
- As of Thursday, D.C. says it has now conducted more than 100,000 coronavirus tests.
- DC Health reports it is now able to contact trace more than 98% of new cases reported in the city.
- Maryland reported more than 500 new cases today for the first time in two weeks.
- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced additional steps to expand testing. More on that here.
- Frederick County, Maryland, has now reported more than 2,500 cases of the coronavirus.
- Virginia reported 30 new deaths on Thursday – the highest single-day death count since late May and the eighth consecutive day of an upward trend in deaths.
- Virginia’s daily case trend has been plateaued-to-slightly increasing for 10 days.
Wednesday, July 1:
- D.C. has been averaging fewer than 40 new cases a day for a week now – less than half of the 90 new cases a day it was averaging on June 1.
- Maryland began June averaging more than 900 new cases a day. As of Wednesday, the state has been averaging fewer than 400 new cases a day for 12 days.
- Maryland's trend has been plateaued over those same 12 days at around 365 new cases a day.
- Northern Virginia’s share of the state’s new coronavirus cases reported each day has dropped from 60% when Phase I of reopening started to around 30%.
- Virginia entered June averaging more than 1,000 new cases a day. As of Wednesday, it is now averaging around 525 new cases a day.
- Despite the above, Virginia is the only part of the DMV that has seen a significant increase from its lowest average. Daily cases are now, on average, 9% higher than they were on June 21.
Tuesday, June 30:
- D.C. will finish June having declined for weeks down to the level of new daily cases it was at in late March.
- For the second time this month, the District reported 0 new deaths from the coronavirus on Tuesday.
- Maryland remains plateaued at around 300-400 new cases a day, where it has been for about 10 days.
- Deaths in Maryland remain on a generally downward trend, as they have been since late May.
- Coronavirus-related deaths have been on an upward trend in Virginia for the past 7 days. Four of the last 7 days have seen more than 20 deaths per day, which hasn’t happened since the end of May.
- Virginia’s new case trend has been heading in a slightly upward direction since June 20.
- Virginia’s average percent positivity has begun to creep back up from 5.8% on June 23 to 6% as of Tuesday. That’s still below the 10% goalpost.
Monday, June 29:
- New coronavirus cases and deaths in D.C. have declined down to where they were in the first few weeks of the pandemic.
- The doubling time for coronavirus cases in D.C. continues slowing, and has now reached nearly 230 days.
- The decline in new deaths from the coronavirus in Maryland has slowed to essentially nothing, although they remain at their lowest point since April.
- Maryland may be on a slight upward trend in new cases, although daily case numbers have now dropped to where they were in mid-April.
- Maryland is now reporting an average percent positivity below 5%.
- Somerset County now says it has tested nearly 20% of its population. It’s far and away the highest percentage of any county in Maryland.
- Coronavirus-related deaths have been on an upward trend in Virginia for the past 6 days. Three of the last 7 days have seen more than 20 deaths per day, which hasn’t happened since the end of May.
- Virginia’s new case trend has been on a slight upward trend as well over the past week. It’s been plateaued at around 500-530 new cases a day since June 15, which was 10 days after most of Virginia began Phase 2.
- Virginia has lost ground on its coronavirus doubling time, speeding back up from its slowest pace of 84 days to 76 days, as of Monday.
Sunday, June 28:
- Virginia is still on track to begin Phase 3 of reopening July 1, with 489 new cases reported and 8 new deaths. The testing positivity rate remains below 6% , continuing a steady trend in a plateau.
- In Maryland, 327 cases were reported with 12 additional deaths.
- The District is still seeing a declining trend in positive cases, still at 3%. Two additional deaths were reported today.
Saturday, June 27:
- 1031 new tests were reported in the District, with DC's positivity rate at 3%. It's the fourth day in a row that the positivity rate has been below 10%, a key metric in continuing reopening.
- In Maryland, a decline of cases is still occurring and has been since June 3. The state reports 15 new deaths, bringing the total to 3,030.
- Virginia, which is set to head to Phase 3 by July 1, reports 677 new cases of the virus. Test positivity rate remains steady at 5.8%
Friday, June 26:
- The DMV bucks the national trend. Cases per day in the U.S. have been rising since June 9.
- Maryland has been on a decline since June 3rd
- Virginia has declined since May 31, with one spike on June 7, and a plateau beginning June 14th, but not a rise in cases
- D.C. has been on a decline since May 6th
- Maryland announces the state's test positivity rate has dropped to 4.92%, with hospitalizations -- one of the state's key reopening metrics -- under 500 for the first time in 12 weeks.
- Phase 3 of reopening Virginia is still on track to start next Wednesday, July 1. The state announces 624 new cases of the virus, but the positivity rate of all cases dipped from 6% to 5.8%, a key sign in reopening.
- In the District, an additional 26 cases of the virus were reported, bringing the total cases to 10,185. DC entered Phase 2 of reopening on Monday, lifting a number of restrictions on businesses and residents.
Thursday, June 25:
- Following the news that more than 3,000 people have died from the coronavirus in Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued a statement. He said in part, “Now more than ever, as we begin to come into contact with more people, we must all continue to remain vigilant. Our health and economic recovery depends on all of us continuing to exercise personal responsibility in order to keep ourselves, our family members, our neighbors, and our coworkers safe"
- In a press conference, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt warned residents that while the District is seeing low case numbers lately, data shows that D.C. still has moderate community spread. Both the mayor and health officials warned those planning for the 4th of July to "choose your activities wisely."
RELATED: DC coronavirus update: City leaders urge residents to be safe for Fourth of July activities
- D.C. reported 32 additional cases of coronavirus and 2 additional deaths.
- Maryland reported 440 new cases of coronavirus and 15 additional deaths, bringing the states total number of deaths due to coronavirus to 3,001.
- Virginia reported an additional 432 coronavirus cases and 14 additional deaths.
Wednesday, June 24:
- D.C. reports an additional 34 cases of coronavirus and four additional deaths. That brings the District's total to 10,128 cases and 541 lives lost.
- Maryland saw an increase of 330 coronavirus cases and 15 deaths, with a statewide positivity rate of 5.17%. Prince George's County remains the county with the most cases in the state, topping 18,000.
- Virginia health officials reported 520 new coronavirus cases and 16 additional deaths.
Tuesday, June 23:
- Gov. Ralph Northam said all of Virginia can move to Phase 3 on July 1.
- D.C. reported 36 additional cases of the coronavirus and two additional lives lost as a result of the virus. In total, D.C. reports 10,094 cases and 537 deaths.
- Maryland health officials report 404 additional cases of coronavirus, bringing the state's total above 65,000.
- Virginia health officials reported 529 additional coronavirus cases in the commonwealth, bringing the total number of cases to 58,994.
Monday, June 22:
- DC reports an additional 38 cases on the start of Phase 2 of reopening, bringing the total number of cases to 10,058.
- Maryland has seen an increase in 297 cases and an average of 5.03% in testing positivity.
- Virginia reports 471 new cases as it's nearing 60,000 confirmed cases in the state.
Sunday, June 21:
- The District reports 36 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 10,020.
- The Maryland Department of Health estimates confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19 now exceed 2900 people.
Saturday, June 20:
- An average test positivity of less than 5.5% continues in Maryland for newly reported coronavirus, signaling a downward trend.
- The DMV reports a combined total of 992 new cases of the virus.
- As of Saturday, the percentage of positive new tests in Virginia fell down to 7%.
- The District's total number of positive cases is now 9,984, with DC health saying death numbers have continued to plateau around 4-5 a week.
Friday, June 19:
On Friday, DC Health says the District has seen 15 consecutive days of decline in community spread of the virus – which is what it needs to begin Phase II of reopening.
- Maryland is now reporting an average percent positivity of less than 5.5% for newly reported coronavirus tests.
- More than 10,000 Marylanders have now been hospitalized due to the virus, although only 648 remain in the hospital.
- The Maryland Department of Health estimates confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19 now exceed 3,000 people.
- As of Friday, more than 1,600 Virginians have now died from the coronavirus.
- Virginia says it has now conducted more than 500,000 coronavirus tests, and is reporting an average percent positivity of 7.1%.
Thursday, June 18:
On Thursday, the DMV reached a combined 5,000 reported deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. More than 130,000 people in D.C., Maryland and Virginia have now contracted the virus.
- In D.C., daily death numbers have been plateaued at around 4-5 for a week now.
- DC Health says the District has seen 14 consecutive days of decline in community spread of the virus.
- Maryland has been on a declining trend in daily cases for 13 days now.
- The state has also seen a declining trend in daily deaths for 20 days.
- Montgomery County now reports more than 700 people have likely died as a result of contracting COVID-19.
- Virginia reported just 3 new deaths on Thursday – the lowest daily number since April 6.
- After 16 days of decline, Virginia’s daily case numbers have been flat for three days.
Wednesday, June 17:
Across the DMV, testing numbers continued improving Wednesday, with Maryland and Virginia reporting their lowest percent positivities to date.
- DC’s Ward 4 now has more than 2,000 residents who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus – the most in the city. Ward 5 ranks second, with just under 1,500 cases.
- More than 700 people in Montgomery County have now died from the coronavirus.
- Maryland on Wednesday reported its second-highest daily number of tests, with 15,594 new results. Less than 6% were reported as positive, which is a new record low.
- Virginia says nearly 500,000 tests have now been given, and its average percent positivity has declined to 7.3%.
- Fairfax County, which has the most cases in Virginia, has reported less than 100 new cases a day for nine days straight.
Tuesday, June 16:
On Tuesday, D.C., Maryland and Virginia reported a combined 12 new deaths from the coronavirus – the lowest number in months. All three states are still continuing weeks-long downward trends in new cases.
- DC reported just 19 new cases today – the lowest daily number since March 22.
- The doubling time for coronavirus cases in D.C. is now nearly 150 days – four times slower than it was just a month ago.
- Maryland reported 34 new deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday – it’s highest single-day death count in 10 days.
- The state also says more than 10,000 people have now had to be hospitalized because of the virus, including more than 450 acute care patients and nearly 300 ICU patients.
- The doubling time for coronavirus cases in Maryland has slowed by more than 30% over the past three days.
- Virginia’s doubling time for coronavirus cases has plateaued over the past several days around the 70-days mark.
- After three days of single-digit death counts, Virginia reported 18 new deaths on Tuesday – its highest count in nearly a week.
What precautions should you take?
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are unavailable.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Check the status of the virus in your state with your state health department's websites by tapping below: