Dear Ward 8 Residents,

As we continue to consider the best way to open the District of Columbia, we invite residents and business owners to give their feedback. Mayor Muriel Bower hosted a ReOpenDC town hall meeting last night. If you missed the town hall, please feel free to participate in the ReOpenDC Share Your Ideas Survey. 

The new normal is on the horizon. I know many are feeling the need to get back to our normal activities of daily life. However, for now, we need to protect the vulnerable people in our community and follow the stay home order. Continue to stay strong and stay home Ward 8.

Regards,

Trayon White, Sr.
Councilmember, Ward 8

Mayor Muriel Bowser established the DC Contact Trace Force to hire hundreds of additional tracers at DC Health.

“An effective response requires widespread contact tracing so that we know who has the virus and who has been exposed to it,” said Mayor Bowser. “When it comes time to reopen our city, this team of contact tracers is going to play a critical role in keeping Washingtonians safe and our city moving forward.”

DC Health currently has about 65 contact tracers, and about 70% of confirmed cases have been traced. The Force is in the process of increasing that team to about 200 tracers, with up to an additional 700 tracers to be hired through Phase One of re-opening the District.

The Contact Trace Force will help contain the virus and mitigate community spread through a five-step process:

• Test
• Isolate
• Trace
• Quarantine
• Connect to Services

For more information about the District’s response to COVID-19, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.

• Healthcare facility workers with COVID-19 symptoms or history of exposure to laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patient and employed in DC.
• DC residents over the age of 65 with symptoms or history of exposure to laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patient.
• DC residents with underlying conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease who also have symptoms or history of exposure to laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patient.
• DC residents with an order for testing from their healthcare provider.
• First responders with symptoms or history of exposure to laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patient and employed in DC.
• Critical infrastructure workers with symptoms who are employed within DC.
• Asymptomatic critical infrastructure workers who are employed in DC and have a history of exposure to a positive COVID-19 patient.
• DC residents who do not meet any of the above categories but have symptoms.
• Healthcare facility workers and first responders who are employed in DC.