D.C. reported a dip in new coronavirus cases on Thursday, just one day after reporting its highest case load in nearly a month.
The District saw just 37 new cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 10,679 infections since the start of the pandemic. The number is significantly lower than the 73 new cases the city reported on Wednesday, its highest new case load since June 9.
D.C. also reported four new fatalities on Thursday, and a much lower number of coronavirus tests, which could account for the decrease in new infections. D.C. reported 3,912 new tests on Wednesday, compared with just 1,634 one day later.
Virginia also saw a slight drop in new cases as compared with Wednesday at 613, bringing its total to 67,988. Maryland, meanwhile, saw an uptick. The state reported 586 new cases, bringing its total 71,447.
Virginia also reported 32 new fatalities, while Maryland saw 13.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser shared some possible explanations for the spike in D.C., one being that people visiting the District had brought the virus with them.
“We can’t control everybody in the region and we certainly can’t control everybody nationally, but we are a country with porous borders, so anybody from Texas or Florida can be in D.C. in the next hour, and we won’t be able to control that,” she said. Both Texas and Florida have experienced a jump in cases in recent weeks.
Bowser also highlighted other potential factors, like an increase in testing leading to the detection of more cases, the city being unable to control when employees in the private sector and federal government return to work, and large-scale demonstrations. “So, all of those things have a big impact,” she said.
On Monday, however, D.C. Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said no observable coronavirus spike could be attributed to the protests up to that point.
Virginia has continued to ease restrictions in recent weeks and moved to Phase Three of its reopening plans, but both Maryland and the D.C. have chosen to remain in Phase Two.
Local officials and public health experts in the District and Montgomery County have voiced their concerns about a piecemeal approach to reopening in the region.
Boris Lushniak, the dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, said in an interview with the Washington Post on Monday, “It’s not the best public health measure to break the region apart in this manner. . . . I would have preferred for this to be done in a more coordinated fashion.”
Officials in D.C. have not shared a timeline for moving ahead with Phase Three, but the criteria includes being able to track new cases adequately and having enough hospital bed capacity, in addition to other factors.
Northern Virginia officials have also told residents not to abandon caution. “I think there is a concern that as you move to Phase Three, that signals to folks that, you know, all bets are off, you can do whatever you want,” Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson told DCist/WAMU last month. “We’re trying to emphasize to folks that we need to continue to keep our guard up.”
