April 24, 2020

Coronavirus Update: Economic Recovery, Data Transparency, & Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance

Dear Neighbors,

Today, the District's Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey DeWitt provided the
Council with a [1]presentation on the District's economic recovery
projections. While all forecasting comes with some degree of uncertainty,
his analysis paints a sobering look at our local finances and how severely
our local budget has been affected by coronavirus. In sum, the District
will need to account for a $722 million funding shortfall in this year's
budget, $773 million in next year's budget, and should expect at least a 2
year recovery period from this pandemic. By July, we expect to have lost
around 93,000 local jobs.

Of course, this forecast could be more or less severe than what is
projected today. This largely rests on our success at flattening the curve
with social distancing, possibly the development of a coronavirus vaccine,
a possible second wave of infections in the fall, etc. Based on these
factors, we may see some businesses re-open this summer and should expect
more recovery efforts in the fall. And, in fact, due to the District's
financial health, we are much better situated for recovery than most states
and large cities. If you would like to read Mr. DeWitt's report in full,
please see: [2]April 2020 Revenue Estimates.

Regards,

Mary

Please see [3]coronavirus.dc.gov for the latest District updates &
resources on COVID-19

If you know someone who would like to receive these updates directly, he or
she may sign up through [4]marycheh.com or by
emailing [5][email protected]

Data, Modeling, & Hospital Preparation

Expanded Dataset - The District has again expanded the coronavirus data
available for the public. This includes more detailed information on
mortalities, demographics, the status of essential employees (MPD, FEMS,
etc.), and Ward-based data. In total, there are 3,528 known positives, 651
recoveries, and 153 lives have been lost to coronavirus. In our Ward 3
community, we have 252 known positive cases and tragically lost twelve
neighbors to this disease. If you would like to parse through the data, it
is updated daily at [6]Coronavirus Data. Here some additional resources:
* [7]Public Safety Agency Data
* [8]Human Services Agency Data
* [9]Hospital Status Data

Outbreak Modeling - According to the District's modeling, we expect to hit
the peak by mid-June. Happily, our number of cases is trending well below
where the District was projected to be at the end of April where we
expected to see about two times as many positive cases. This is a great
sign that social distancing protocols are working, however; we are still
not seeing a downward trend in new cases. There will be many factors
evaluated before easing social distancing protocols, and one of those
factors is the downward trend in new cases over a period of at least two
weeks.
* New Coronavirus Contact Trace Force - Mayor Bowser is launching a new
contact tracing initiative to help determine who has and who hasn't been
exposed to coronavirus in the District. The [10]Contact Tracing Force will
expand the current contact tracing team from 65 to about 200 tracers.
* Testing Capacity - Facilities in the District now have the capacity to
perform 3,700 coronavirus tests each day.

Hospital Preparation - The District's hospitals have [11]long been
preparing for the surge and are currently operating at about 70% capacity.
As of Monday, there were 402 patients in acute care settings across all
District hospitals with about 120 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU)
and 69 patients on ventilators. Our hospitals have not yet exceeded their
ICU capacity and, if or when that occurs, coronavirus patients will be
transitioned to the Convention Center for medical care and recovery. By the
first week in May, the Convention Center will be outfitted with 500 beds.

How to Apply for Sidewalk Widening & Road Closures

Widening Sidewalks - The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) have
begun installing street barricades in front of certain grocery stores and
other essential businesses in order to expand the sidewalk space and
promote social distancing for shoppers. In Ward 3, this includes the
closure of the service lane in Cleveland Park.

The agency is currently evaluating sites for sidewalk expansion and will
also consider locations submitted by Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners
(ANC) and Business Improvement District (BID) representatives, as the local
representative body.
* Residents should submit their requests to their respective [12]ANC or
[13]BID
* ANCs and BIDs should submit location suggestions
to [14][email protected]

Behavioral Health Resources are Available During COVID-19

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) - PUA was established by the federal
CARES Act to provide unemployment benefits to freelancers, independent
contractors, gig workers, and self-employed individuals.

If you identify with any of the following situations due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the Department of Employment Services encourages you to apply for
PUA (and here are some additional [15]example situations for applicants):

Job-Related Circumstances
* My hours are reduced or I was laid off
* I had to quit my job as a direct result of COVID-19
* I can't start my new job
* I can't perform my regular job because I am a household member's
primary caregiver, and their school or care facility has closed due to
COVID-19
* I'm self-employed, an independent contractor, or gig worker and cannot
do business
* My recent work history is insufficient to apply for standard
unemployment insurance

Health-Related Circumstances
* I've become the head of household due to a COVID-19 death
* I've been diagnosed with COVID-19 or am seeking a diagnosis

Click here for the PUA Application: [16]Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

Vote By Mail with an Absentee Ballot

The Board of Elections will include two mail-in ballot request forms
(including prepaid return envelopes) as a part of their DC Voter Guide that
is sent to every qualified registered voter. These will be mailed out in
early May. However, if you want to proactively request your absentee
ballot, you may do so in one of the following ways:

[17]

Domestic Violence Resources are Available

Domestic violence, sexual assault, and shelter programs are critical
services in the District and remain open during the public health
emergency. To access our local domestic violence and sexual assault
services, please go to [18][link removed] or access the DC Victim
Hotline. To contact the hotline, dial or
text 1-844-4HELPDC (1-844-443-5732) or use the [19]online chatroom.

[20]

Food Access: SNAP & the Cleveland Park Farmer's Market

Food Access & SNAP - The District's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) has been approved by the [21]U.S. Department of Agriculture
for online food purchasing. This will enable over 66,000 District families
who utilize SNAP to order groceries online and have that food delivered
during the coronavirus outbreak. Needless to say, SNAP recipients should be
able to have groceries delivered to their homes just like anyone else, and
this is a critical safety development for thousands of local families. The
Department for Human services is coordinating the rollout plan for this new
food access option and those details will be shared once they're finalized.

Cleveland Park Farmer's Market - The Cleveland Park Farmer's Market will
re-open this Saturday, April 25th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 3400 block
of Connecticut Avenue. Mary Ellen Koontz, the Market Manager, has put
together a guide to help residents safely visit and utilize the market as
well as inform the community about the new safety measures at the market.
* For Mary Ellen's guide, please see: [22]Keeping Our Community Safe at
Market.

Ending this Update on a Happy Note:

Humane Rescue Alliance & City Wildlife to the Rescue!

This past Tuesday, [23]Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) recovered a Bald Eagle
that was trapped in a parking garage in Southeast, D.C. The HRA then
brought the eagle to [24]City Wildlife where veterinarian Dr. Cheryl
Chooljian, along with help from Animal Care Manager Angela Sese, examined
eagle and determined that he was healthy and ready for safe release back
into the wild. Dr. Chooljian and [25]Department of Energy & Environment
biologist Dan Rauch released the eagle in Kenilworth Park. Immediately
after release, the eagle’s mate came flying in to greet him!

Our Office is Open!

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

You may continue to [26]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.

[27]Facebook [28]Twitter

FOLLOW MARY

References

1. [link removed] 2020 Revenue Estimate Presentation 042420.pdf
2. [link removed] Revenue Estimate Letter 042420.pdf
3. [link removed]
4. [link removed]
5. mailto:[email protected]?subject=Sign-Up: Councilmember Cheh's Ward 3 Newsletter
6. [link removed]
7. [link removed]
8. [link removed]
9. [link removed]
10. [link removed]
11. [link removed]
12. [link removed]
13. [link removed]
14. mailto:[email protected]
15. [link removed]
16. [link removed]
17. [link removed]
18. [link removed]
19. [link removed]
20. [link removed]
21. [link removed]
22. [link removed]
23. [link removed]
24. [link removed]
25. [link removed][0]=68.ARAJaFfjglmdEyz7I2x4_stiyiOMBh04k6Shw2mivwgNsr075ZqJHa-FXWEWiA5vSxXTXeqDOuRiiEnckf6nsu4ojxWWvm-LVosjXC3DC3bWPFWPYo0GH__KwhXYkKjuMi1vR3hs43C1WoZiXyJUmMPj0QE4u7AxWzy8wLKyT4uNJmUzgBJprfgceShVPGDimtAD3PxGqQMOSMR07bu6bKlTrE-mdmEVQpDDqd8q6SfZTMCGnPurLQcPiOB8rjIdtzUFEg7pbcZHN_yB5bp_MMi6RL9sGZ1CMAmAijNyMpZ5iADGCTRBhrdH7wY-Ju95-gmItLQVwmTL4wEvphDIg9dmkw
26. [link removed]
27. [link removed]
28. [link removed]
Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

This message was sent to [email protected] from [email protected]

Mary Cheh
Mary Cheh Ward 3
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NWSuite 108
Washington, DC 20004
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

iContact - Try it for FREE: [link removed]