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 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: April 2020 Revenue Estimates.

Regards,

Mary

Please see 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 marycheh.com or by emailing [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 Coronavirus Data. Here some additional resources:

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 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 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 ANC or BID
ANCs and BIDs should submit location suggestions to [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 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: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

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 http://bit.ly/DVcovid19 or access the DC Victim Hotline. To contact the hotline, dial or text 1-844-4HELPDC (1-844-443-5732) or use the online chatroom.

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 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: Keeping Our Community Safe at Market.

Ending this Update on a Happy Note:

Humane Rescue Alliance & City Wildlife to the Rescue!

This past Tuesday, 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 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 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 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.