Coronavirus Update:

Hospital Capacity, Tax Filings, & Small Business Grants

Dear Neighbors,

The District has sadly experienced our first two deaths from the coronavirus (COVID-19). These tragic losses underscore the need for all of us to seriously undertake social distancing and to stay at home whenever possible—not just for our own sake, but for the safety and wellbeing of each other, especially in consideration of the elderly and those who have underlying medical conditions that make them especially vulnerable to this virus.

The District now has 137 reported positive cases of COVID-19 with a 1-year-old testing positive. I know that the school closure extension and social isolation has been difficult for many, but the best way for us to slow the spread of this disease (known as flattening the curve) is to stay at home. And for those who are well and looking to help, the Mayor is coordinating and will soon mobilize the Medical Reserve Corps and recast ServeDC for coronavirus volunteer work.

Below, I have highlighted some important agency updates informed by my daily calls with the Executive and my Council colleagues. As always, please see coronavirus.dc.gov for the latest COVID-19 news and updates from Mayor Bowser.

Regards,

Mary

Senior Telephone Town Hall Today

Mayor Bowser is hosting a special Senior Telephone Town Hall to provide an update on COVID-19. Residents may dial-in or watch the town hall live on DCN Channel 16. The event will also be live streamed on the Mayor's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Tuesday, March 24th at 3:30 pm

Dial-in at : 844-881-1314

*No Passcode Required*

Hospital Capacity, Testing, and Medical Corps Volunteering

Hospital Beds Available for Coronavirus Surge - Currently, area hospitals are operating at about 68% occupancy, which is actually lower than average. To build local hospital capacity in the event of a surge in positive coronavirus cases, DC Health has worked with our hospital system on four major courses of action:

Reducing the number of existing patients – this includes canceling elective surgeries and discharging non-acute patients
Expanding the existing space in hospitals using regulatory waivers – this will enable hospitals to use previously unlicensed locations to create additional space
DC Health is also working on ways to identify and potentially refigure existing facilities across the District, such as nursing homes, unused hotels, etc., for use in the event of a patient surge
The Executive has also been working closely with the US Army Corps of Engineers to identify a potential site for a large medical surge facility should one be necessary – this includes determining what resources would be needed for such a facility to become operational

Testing - There is a nationwide shortage of COVID-19 testing kits, swabs, and the protective gear needed to safely administer tests, and these shortages have also affected the District. Currently, the District has the ability to test and process 100-150 tests per day. That should increase to 360 tests per day by April 6th.

New technology may help with testing processes and particularly with the speed of the testing process and wait times for results. That technology includes the new FDA-approved 45 minute rapid test. Currently, the Public Health Lab and 3 hospitals are confirmed to have the instrument needed to do this new form of testing. The instrument to develop that test, by the way, was created by the District's only Fortune 100 company. Accordingly, Mayor Bowser has already been in contact with the company's CEO to discuss the District's testing needs.

Volunteer with the DC Medical Reserve Corps - The Medical Reserve Corps is preparing volunteers for the response to a potential surge in positive coronavirus patients. The Corps currently has 600 reserve members and is recruiting additional community volunteers. These volunteers will:

Provide medical screening and support in mass care settings
Assist with patient tracking at planned events
Support medical countermeasures, distribution, and dispensing activities
Provide assistance with planned and unplanned public health activities

For those who are healthy and wish to volunteer either their medical expertise or serve in an administrative/coordinating capacity, please see: https://dchealth.dc.gov/mrc.

DC Tax Filings

Filing Deadline Extended to July 15th - The District’s individual income tax filing deadline has been changed from April 15th to July 15th. This means taxpayers will have an additional 90 days to file and pay, and there is no need to file an application for an extension.

The Internal Revenue Service has also extended the federal filing and payment deadline to July 15th, 2020
The Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) encourages taxpayers who are able to file their returns electronically to do so
For additional information, please contact OTR’s Customer Service Center at (202) 727-4TAX (4829)

Small Business Recovery Grant Program

Small Business Recovery Grants - The District's new small business grant program will become available to District businesses starting Today, March 24th. Created through emergency legislation passed by the Council last Tuesday, so far $25 million has been designated for the microgrant fund.

For this first round of grant funding, small business owners must submit completed applications by Friday, March 27th.

Eligibility criteria includes:

That the business is located in the District
The business maintains an up to date license
That the business is able to demonstrate at least a 25% revenue loss related to the coronavirus

To apply, please collect the following documents:

2017 & 2018 tax returns (personal returns are accepted if business returns are unavailable)
2019 Profit & Loss Statement
Schedule of Liabilities

The grant application link will be made available here:

https://coronavirus.dc.gov/recovery

Tidal Basin Road Closures & Sidewalk and Bike lane Restrictions

Mayor Bowser has extended road closures and is taking additional measures to restrict access to the Tidal Basin. The Mayor has directed the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to work with the DC National Guard to enforce a restricted access zone around the Tidal Basin until further notice to ensure social distancing and prevent further community transmission of COVID-19. Further, pedestrian and bicycle traffic will be restricted in the area of the National Mall.

Members of the public will not be able to enter the Jefferson Memorial or the National Mall in the area bounded by 14th Street to 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue to Independence Avenue, SW. Further, pedestrian and bicycle traffic will be restricted in the area of the Tidal Basin.

For more on the closures, please see: Street Closures

Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is closed during the public health emergency, staff are teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to email the office directly or reach us via phone through our main line at (202) 724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent services requests.