D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced new coronavirus restrictions Monday, limiting indoor and outdoor gatherings, restricting indoor group exercise classes, and capping alcohol sales at restaurants at 10 p.m.

Bowser described it as an “adjustment” to the Phase Two restrictions. D.C. never went into Phase Three like nearby states.

The rollbacks of the city’s phased reopening come as D.C. reports 139 new cases and two deaths Monday, following a week of consecutive spikes in cases in the D.C. region, a popular travel holiday approaching (Bowser encouraged people to stay home), and colder temperatures rounding the corner, which may tempt residents to socialize indoors.

Most of the new restrictions go into effect on Wednesday, November 25. They include:

• Limiting indoor gathering to 10 people (down from 50).
• Limiting outdoor gatherings, except worship services, to 25 (down from 50).
• Suspending group indoor exercise classes and limiting outdoor workout classes to 25 people. Individual workouts are still allowed. More guidance will be coming about organized sports.
• Suspending alcohol sales at restaurants at 10 p.m. Restaurants can stay open for dining until midnight. Bowser says inspectors have found less compliance with social distancing and other rules later into the night.
• Capping indoor worship services at 50 people or 25% capacity, whichever is lower.
• Encouraging all non-essential, non-retail business employees to telework.
• Suspending the live entertainment pilot, which allowed six venues to have up to 50 people for events.

Meanwhile, an additional cap on restaurant capacity — lowering it from 50% to 25% — goes into effect December 14, Bowser said, to give businesses time to adjust operations. Some on Twitter quickly rebuked that decision, saying the virus will only get worse in the three weeks before more restrictions go into effect.

Bowser said the changes are “meant to flatten a curve, help us reserve hospital beds for the most in need of care, and keep our communities safe during this nationwide surge.”

The new order clamps down on the measures set forth in the city’s Phase Two reopening plan, which allowed gatherings of up to 50 people, retail businesses, libraries, and restaurants to operate at half capacity, and gyms and salons to open with capacity limits and appointment requirements. The city entered Phase Two on Monday, June 22 — a move that emails obtained through a FOIA later revealed may have been based on modified metrics.

At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman said she’s been asking since October for cluster data about where the virus has spread most but still hasn’t gotten it.

“It would be helpful to see if transmission is likely to have happened at gyms or live music venues or restaurants or to restaurant workers in the kitchen,” Silverman tweeted during the mayor’s press conference.

Since Nov. 10, the District has reported more than 200 new coronavirus cases on three different days, tipping the city’s seven-day average of daily new cases above 150 for the first time since May. D.C. is currently reporting a seven-day average daily case rate per 100,00 residents of 23.86 — the highest since May 10 — and an average positivity rate of 4.5%.

The city’s transmission rate, which estimates the number of people who will be infected from one positive case, is 1.35, a number D.C. hasn’t seen since March.

Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, lines at D.C.’s public testing sites spiked last week with some residents reporting wait times over 90 minutes. In response to the high demand and the worsening metrics, Bowser announced expanded testing efforts on Nov. 18; a new (and semi-heated) public testing site will open at Nationals Park and hours are extended at firehouse testing centers.

Bowser’s order follows similar moves by Maryland and Virginia in recent days — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan cut down restaurant capacity and limited hours of operation, while Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam limited all indoor and outdoor gatherings to 25 people, banned alcohol sales past 10 p.m., and expanded the commonwealth’s mask mandate.

Officials in neighboring Montgomery County have limited capacity in retail stores to 25%, a measure that goes beyond Hogan’s latest orders, and plan to ramp up enforcement. Prince George’s County made a similar move, reducing indoor restaurant capacity to 25%,  among other amendments to the county’s reopening plan.

Prior to Bowser’s order, the Smithsonian Institution announced on Thursday that all museums and the National Zoo would be closed to the public temporarily starting today. The National Gallery of Art also announced a temporary closure on Thursday, beginning on Saturday, Nov. 21 “out of an abundance of caution.”

The restrictions will deal another blow for local restaurants — many of which were already grappling with revenue drops and further shortfalls as winter draws closer. On Nov. 18, Bowser launched a $100 million grant program for retail and hospitality businesses, pulling from both local funds and federal CARES act money.

D.C. also announced a new “shop local” website, ShopInTheDistrict.com, and a new local website to order food and drink delivery, DCtoGoGo.com.

This post has been updated with additional information from Mayor Bowser’s Monday press conference.