Mayor Muriel Bowser responded to D.C’s share of the federal aid package to states with disapointment and anger. The district is usually treated as a state when it comes to federal programs, but this time they were given the same amount as a territory. NBC4’s Mark Segraves has the story.
President Donald Trump approved a "major disaster declaration" for Washington, D.C., on Sunday, freeing up federal funds as the city's coronavirus cases continue to rise.
"FEMA announced that federal emergency aid has been made available for the District of Columbia to supplement the District’s recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on Jan. 20, 2020 and continuing," the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a release.
Federal funding is also available to D.C. and certain private nonprofit organizations for "emergency protective measures."
D.C. leaders called on Congress to adjust the coronavirus relief bill that Trump passed last week, saying it would give the District less than half the money allocated to states though D.C. has more residents than two states.
Each state stands to get a minimum of $1.25 billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund but the District will only get about $500 million, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said in a letter Tuesday to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Mayor Muriel Bowser and every other member of the council signed on.
"It would be unconscionable to provide the District, which pays the most in federal taxes per capita, with the least amount of relief funding per capita of any state," the letter said.
Some D.C. residents are struggling to get basic necessities amid the coronavirus pandemic. News4’s Jackie Bensen explains how one D.C. Council member is helping.
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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the disparity "shameful" and "outrageous."
Bowser and Mendelson appeared together at a press conference Thursday, saying that D.C. was unfairly grouped with territories even though the District carries a heavier tax burden than such places.
"We are hopeful that the Congress will rectify this shortfall. Because this affects people. This is not simply a statehood issue," Mendelson said. "We are seeing people suffer."
The funding allocation amounts to about $700 per resident, compared to $2,000 per person that states with fewer residents than D.C., such as Vermont and Wyoming are set to get, Mendelson said. Washington, D.C., has a population of about 705,000, compared to Vermont's 623,000 and Wyoming's 578,000, according to the Federal Reserve.
Mendelson called on federal officials to treat D.C. like a state when doling out relief funds. Local governments are struggling as unemployment claims spike and economies contract due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced Thursday he is leading a bipartisan coalition with the National Association of Attorneys General and 36 other attorneys general to implore the Senate, House and president to treat the District of Columbia as a state to receive more funds from the Coronavirus Relief Fund.
"Indeed, as a densely populated urban center, the District is uniquely vulnerable to the spread of the virus and is already experiencing significant economic loss due to the ongoing public health emergency. The District’s tourism, hospitality, and restaurant industries, along with its world-class colleges and universities, are already suffering, as are small businesses throughout the District," the coalition said in a statement.
Under the version of a massive $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed by the Senate, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and other territories would split a $3 billion pool. The money would be divided based on population. Puerto Rico has a population of over 3.1 million.
Coronavirus Cases in DC, Maryland and Virginia
COVID-19 cases by population in D.C. and by county in Maryland and Virginia
Source: DC, MD and VA Health Departments Credit: Anisa Holmes / NBC Washington
Washington, D.C., receives money from other federal programs as if it is a state, Bowser said. The bill in question defines D.C. as a state in some sections but specifically allocates the $1.25 billion minimum to "1 of 50 states."
The bill did allocate $5 million for the District's security costs during this time, subject to congressional rules.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents D.C. in Congress, said she hoped the funding gap was an oversight. She called on Senate Democrats, including many who co-signed a bill that would make D.C. a state, to fix it.
But Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat representing Maryland, said on the Senate floor that it was not a mistake.
"Republican negotiators insisted on shortchanging the people of the District of Columbia. And if I'm wrong about that, it would be a very easy fix," he said.
Surely in a $2 trillion in emergency relief, we can do right by the people of the District of Columbia.
But the answer I got back was no, it's not a mistake.
Republican negotiators insisted on shortchanging residents who pay more taxes than people in 22 states. Shameful. pic.twitter.com/fus3okWqgb
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) March 26, 2020
D.C. residents send more tax revenue to the IRS than residents of 22 other states, Van Hollen said. He went on to say that he would not vote against the $2 trillion aid package, however, because of where D.C. stands.
The relief bill passed the Senate 96-0 on Wednesday night.
"Every state that has two senators was treated the exact same way," Bowser said. "That's why we have pushed so hard for statehood."
For so many people, relief from the federal government can't come soon enough. Businesses are trying to keep as many people employed as possible, and those who have lost a job are trying to figure out how to pay the bills. News4's Cory Smith talked to a few people struggling to make ends meet.
Bowser said she was hopeful that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would work in the next rounds to get D.C. more federal funds, but said the two haven't talked recently.
Del. Norton has been in contact with Pelosi or her office, Bowser said, but the expectation is that changes will come in the next round of negotiations.
Later, Pelosi said that the bill treats D.C. in a “discriminatory way," NBC News reported.
D.C. Council Member Charles Allen called the funding gap "ridiculous on so many levels."
Think #DCstatehood doesn’t matter? In this federal rescue effort, every state in the country is getting a minimum $1.25 BILLION. But DC (with no vote in Congress) will be getting less than $500 million. Ridiculous on so many levels. House & Senate needs to fix this ASAP. https://t.co/pJ93UK8roH
Dozens of coronavirus cases have been diagnosed in D.C. Lawmakers have closed many businesses and say the lucrative tourism and nightlife industries are taking major hits from the coronavirus pandemic.
The sudden drop-off in the tourism and hospitality industries is hitting D.C. particularly hard, Mendelson said Thursday.
Bowser said that reserves will quickly dry up when it can't collect income and other tax revenues over the next several weeks. Mendelson said lost revenue could reach half a billion dollars.
D.C. decided not to delay its property tax deadline, coming up on March 31, to ensure it had the cash to continue the basic functions of city government, Bowser said.
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Protesters rally against stay-at-home orders related to the coronavirus pandemic outside Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia on April 16, 2020. – After some protesters gathered inside the park, police locked the gates and prevented further entry, where the remaining protesters gathered at the fence. With over two million cases worldwide, deaths approaching 140,000, and nearly 4.4 billion people subject to some degree of lockdown, COVID-19 has brought much of the global economy to a standstill. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly / AFP)
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Protesters rally against stay-at-home orders related to the coronavirus pandemic at Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia on April 16, 2020. – With over two million cases worldwide, deaths approaching 140,000, and nearly 4.4 billion people subject to some degree of lockdown, COVID-19 has brought much of the global economy to a standstill. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly / AFP)
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WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 17: In a protest designed to adhere to social-distancing and with care taken for safety, 1,000 pop-up signs were arranged on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building showing the faces of nurses and frontline healthcare workers pleading for adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) on April 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. The signs, representing 18,000 American health care workers each, including selfies taken by doctors, nurses and other medical professionals actively fighting to save the lives of coronavirus patients across the United States. The demonstration was organized by a collection of progressive advocacy organizations, health care organizations, and unions representing healthcare workers including the American Federation of Teachers, Communications Workers of America, FrontlinePPENow, GetUsPPE, MoveOn, National Nurses United, Service Employees International Union, and Women’s March. The organizations have jointly collected more than 2 million actions calling for urgent production and distribution of PPE. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn)
Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 17: In a protest designed to adhere to social-distancing and with care taken for safety, 1,000 pop-up signs were arranged on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building showing the faces of nurses and frontline healthcare workers pleading for adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) on April 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. The signs, representing 18,000 American health care workers each, including selfies taken by doctors, nurses and other medical professionals actively fighting to save the lives of coronavirus patients across the United States. The demonstration was organized by a collection of progressive advocacy organizations, health care organizations, and unions representing healthcare workers including the American Federation of Teachers, Communications Workers of America, FrontlinePPENow, GetUsPPE, MoveOn, National Nurses United, Service Employees International Union, and Women’s March. The organizations have jointly collected more than 2 million actions calling for urgent production and distribution of PPE. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MoveOn)
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Police urge protesters to spread out during a rally against stay-at-home orders related to the coronavirus pandemic at Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia on April 16, 2020. – With over two million cases worldwide, deaths approaching 140,000, and nearly 4.4 billion people subject to some degree of lockdown, COVID-19 has brought much of the global economy to a standstill. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly / AFP)
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TOPSHOT – A woman wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat sticks her tongue out of a damaged mask as demonstrators protest during a “Reopen Maryland” rally outside the State House in Annapolis, Maryland, calling on the state to lift stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, April 18, 2020. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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Demonstrators protest during a “Reopen Maryland” rally outside the State House in Annapolis, Maryland, calling on the state to lift stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, April 18, 2020. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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Two men play chess outside the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC on March 31, 2020. – To prevent the spread of coronavirus, COVID-19, , Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, all announced March 30 stay-at-home orders, which strongly discourage residents from leaving home, except for essential trips like grocery or pharmacy shopping, or to travel for work. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
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TOPSHOT – Lauryn Morley, a lower school substitute teacher for the Washington Waldorf School in Bethesda, Maryland, works from her home due to the Coronavirus outbreak, on April 1, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. – Her role in the school changed significantly when Coronavirus hit. She was previously working part time to support teachers when they needed to be absent from the classroom and now she helps them to build skills with new digital platforms so they can continue to teach in the best way for their students and their families.The middle school (grades 6-8) has most regularly been using Zoom and the lower grades have been using Zoom with parents. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP)
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WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 06: A medical professional administers a coronavirus test at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site run by George Washington University Hospital on April 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. Monday was the first day the test site was open, making it the fourth location in the District of Columbia doing COVID-19 testing. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – APRIL 05: Musicians preform during a walk thru Palm Sunday Service at Friendship Baptist Church held due to the COVID-19 pandemic on April 05, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. Police were on hand to enforce the governor’s order limiting the size of gatherings in the state to 10 people or fewer amid increasing coronavirus-related constraints on social gatherings. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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UNITED STATES – APRIL 6: A 3-year-old wraps up a bike ride on Randolph Place NW, in the Bloomingdale neighborhood during the coronavirus outbreak on Monday, April 6, 2020. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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TAKOMA PARK, MD – APRIL 06: Playground equipment is wrapped up in an effort to prevent people from spreading the coronoavirus at Belle Ziegler Park April 06, 2020 in Takoma Park, Maryland. Communities around the globe have reduced access to places people congregate in public and ordered many to shelter-in-place in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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VIRGINIA, USA – APRIL 2: People shop at Wholesale market as the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis continues, on April 2, 2020 in Arlington, Va, United States. (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 06: Medical professional wait for patients to arrive at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site run by George Washington University Hospital on April 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. Monday was the first day the test site was open, making it the fourth location in the District of Columbia doing COVID-19 testing. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON, VA – APRIL 03: An Arlington County employee carries donations at a drive-thru donation point created to collect unused and unopened personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies and some food items to help people responding to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on April 3, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Chen Mengtong/China News Service via Getty Images)
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ELKRIDGE, MARYLAND – MARCH 31: Hatch Exhibits fabricator and installer Morgan Frailey sews together medical gowns the company produces to protect people from the novel coronavirus March 31, 2020 in Elkridge, Maryland. As COVID-19 spread across the country, Hatch Exhibits — which makes, stages, displays and pop-up exhibition booths — furloughed its 23 employees after big projects were cancelled earlier this month. Then, a week ago, owner Chris McCormick and his staff found a way to repurpose their fabric and materials cutting machinery to quickly meet the demand for personal protection equipment for medical workers. After getting orders for tens of thousands of face shields and gowns, the company called back half its laid off employees and hopes to bring more back soon. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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A Costco employee disinfects a shopping cart as shoppers line up to get into the bulk shopping store in Washington, DC, on April 5, 2020. – The number of confirmed coronavirus, COVID-19, cases in the United States has topped 300,000 and there have been more than 8,100 deaths, Johns Hopkins University reported on Saturday. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP)
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A stuffed bear is placed on a balcony to give children a fun and safe activity while walking around their neighbourhood with parents in Washington on April 6, 2020. – A mass teddy bear hunt is under way around the world to help distract the millions of children locked down because of the coronavirus pandemic. The hunt is inspired by the childrens book Were Going on a Bear Hunt, written by UK author Michael Rosen. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP)
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A near empty food Pentagon City Mall is seen in Arlington, Virginia on March 17, 2020. – The coronavirus outbreak has transformed the US virtually overnight from a place of boundless consumerism to one suddenly constrained by nesting and social distancing.The crisis tests all retailers, leading to temporary store closures at companies like Apple and Nike, manic buying of food staples at supermarkets and big-box stores like Walmart even as many stores remain open for business — albeit in a weirdly anemic consumer environment. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Washingtonians and tourists walk around the tidal basin to see this years Cherry Blossom’s despite the outbreak of Coronavirus, COVID-19, and the social distancing recommendations by the authorities on March 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. – Almost one billion people were confined to their homes worldwide Saturday as the global coronavirus death toll topped 12,000 and US states rolled out stay-at-home measures already imposed across swathes of Europe. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP)
Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP
Father Scott Holmer hears confessions in the parking lot of Saint Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Bowie, Maryland on March 20, 2020. – The pastor of the church began hearing confessions from the faithful in their cars at the church parking lot as places of worship in the area are suspending or limiting services due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP)
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SILVER SPRING, MD – MARCH 19: Members of the Maryland Army National Guard work to set up a triage tent in the parking lot outside of the emergency room at Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center on March 19, 2020 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Hospitals across the country are preparing for an influx of additional patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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UNITED STATES – MARCH 22: A visitor wears a face mask at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington on Sunday, March 22, 2020. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call)
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ARLINGTON, VA – MARCH 20:
Priscella Bauer (cq), 90, L, chats with her son, Kevin Bauer, 64, via cell phone during a through-the-door visit at Brookdale Arlington Senior Living in Arlington, VA, on Friday, March 20, 2020. Brookdale Arlington, closed to visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic, is allowing family members to visit loved ones in the nursing home by staying outside glass doors while the nursing home residents stay inside.
(Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 23: A member of the Metropolitan Police Department closes areas surrounding the Washington Monument and National Mall with police tape due to concerns with the spread of the coronavirus on March 23, 2020 in Washington, DC. Public officials around the world are urging all citizens to stay at home to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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A man jogs by a sign recommending social distancing and sanitary measures to avoid the spread of coronavirus, Covid-19, during the outbreak on March 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. – Almost one billion people were confined to their homes worldwide Saturday as the global coronavirus death toll topped 12,000 and US states rolled out stay-at-home measures already imposed across swathes of Europe. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
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A message is posted on near empty shelves for canned goods in a supermarket in Washington, DC on March 20, 2020. – The coronavirus outbreak has transformed the US virtually overnight from a place of boundless consumerism to one suddenly constrained by nesting and social distancing. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Members of the media have their temperature taken ahead of a Coronavirus Task Force news conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Sunday, March 22, 2020. Trump said that he will work with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to get stimulus package and expects Congress to pass it. Photographer: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg
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Joachim, 8, whose school was closed following the Coronavirus outbreak, does school exercises at home with his dad Pierre-Yves in Washington on March 20, 2020. – As millions of families hunker down amid the coronavirus crisis, the sudden reality of schooling from home risks widening the education gap between those with the means and support to keep up with lessons, and those who risk falling behind. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC- MARCH 20: Looking east towards the Capitol Building on a vacant Pennsylvania Avenue at 6:49 pm due to the coronavirus pandemic in Washington, DC on March 20, 2020 . (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 20: A sign encourages people to make smart health-related decisions during their visit to the blooming cherry blossoms amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on March 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. The tourism and entertainment industries have been hit hard by restrictions in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
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LEONARDTOWN, MARYLAND – MARCH 17: Nurses screen patients for COVID-19 virus testing at a drive-up location outside Medstar St. Mary’s Hospital on March 17, 2020 in Leonardtown, Maryland. The facility is one of the first in the Washington, DC area to offer coronavirus testing as more than 5,200 cases have been confirmed in the United States, and more than 90 deaths have been attributed to the virus. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
photos taken by Julia Lerner for The Diamondback
Special teams brought in by UMD’s Facilities Management to sanitize classrooms across Knight Hall (journalism school) after potential exposure to COVID-19 on Tuesday
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 12: Tourists visit the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on the final day the U.S. Capitol will be open to the public due to the coronavirus outbreak on March 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. Earlier today it was announced the U.S. Capitol will be closed until at least April 1 due to evolving concerns about the spread of the virus. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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A commuter wears a face mask in the Metro Center train station in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. New reports have shown cases of coronavirus in the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised Americans to take extra precautions. Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Willian Avila
Toilet paper aisle in the Tenleytown Target
Aracely Velasquez
Costco lines in Wheaton, Maryland
Aracely Velasquez
Costco lines in Wheaton, Maryland
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A commuter wears a face mask in the Metro Center train station in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. New reports have shown cases of coronavirus in the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised Americans to take extra precautions. Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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UNITED STATES – MARCH 9: A skateboarder wearing a protective mask skates on the East Plaza of the U.S. Capitol on Monday, March 9, 2020. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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A passenger wearing a mask is seen at The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport amid coronavirus outbreak in the area. There were 22 coronavirus cases reported in the District, Maryland and Virginia as of Tuesday March 10, 2020 according with the authorities. Washington, D.C. March 11, 2020. (Photo by Aurora Samperio/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Aulia Shariat
Toilet paper aisle in the Rockville, Maryland, Target
Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
UNITED STATES – MARCH 5: An advisory about physical contact hangs on the door of the office of Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, in Washington with recent concerns about the growing Corona virus cases on Thursday, March 5, 2020. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 06: Customers line up outside of the coronavirus pop-up store by Adilisha Patrom, owner of the Suites DC, a co-working and event space across the street from Gallaudet University, who started her pop-up store that sells face masks, protective gloves, and hand sanitizer for customers concerned about the spread of the novel coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 disease in the NoMa neighborhood of Washington, DC on March 6, 2020. With the growing spread of the coronavirus around the world it is becoming harder and harder to find protective equipment and hand sanitizer around the country, especially the N95 protective face mask which Patrom is selling for $30, three times its regular cost. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
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A commuter wearing a face mask rides a train stopped at the Gallery Place station in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 9, 2020. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the U.S. is “going to keep taking very aggressive steps” to protect Americans against the coronavirus, which he calls a “very serious public health threat.” Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 06: Customers line up outside of the coronavirus pop-up store by Adilisha Patrom, owner of the Suites DC, a co-working and event space across the street from Gallaudet University, who started her pop-up store that sells face masks, protective gloves, and hand sanitizer for customers concerned about the spread of the novel coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 disease in the NoMa neighborhood of Washington, DC on March 6, 2020. With the growing spread of the coronavirus around the world it is becoming harder and harder to find protective equipment and hand sanitizer around the country, especially the N95 protective face mask which Patrom is selling for $30, three times its regular cost. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
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UNITED STATES – MARCH 9: Tourists wearing protective masks tour the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday, March 9, 2020. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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A commuter wearing a face mask views a mobile device at the Gallery Place train station in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 9, 2020. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the U.S. is “going to keep taking very aggressive steps” to protect Americans against the coronavirus, which he calls a “very serious public health threat.” Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
LAUREL, MARYLAND – MARCH 15: A restaurant is seen closed as live on-track racing occurs without spectators at Laurel Park on March 15, 2020 in Laurel, Maryland. Nearly all of professional sports have been canceled or postposed because of the Coronavirus pandemic, except for horse racing. However, today Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued an emergency order to close all Maryland casinos, racetracks, and simulcast betting facilities to the general public due to COVID-19. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Inaara Gangji
Safeway in D.C.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
Tourists, wearing protective masks, walk through the main entrance at Union Station in Washington, DC on March 9, 2020. – US health authorities urged Americans most at risk of getting seriously ill from the new coronavirus, COVID-19, to stock up on food and medicine and prepare to remain at home, as the pathogen spread rapidly across the country. (Photo by Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Diego Garces
Purell in the DC Metro
Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A traveler wears a face mask while sitting at Union Station in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 9, 2020. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the U.S. is “going to keep taking very aggressive steps” to protect Americans against the coronavirus, which he calls a “very serious public health threat.” Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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A tour operator, wearing a protective mask, gestures as he leads a tour near the US Capitol in Washington, DC on March 9, 2020. – US health authorities urged Americans most at risk of getting seriously ill from the new coronavirus, COVID-19, to stock up on food and medicine and prepare to remain at home, as the pathogen spread rapidly across the country. (Photo by Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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UNITED STATES – MARCH 11: Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, FDA Administrator, left, elbow bumps Rep. Robert Aderholt, D-Ala., before the start of a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies on “Food and Drug Administration Budget Request for FY2021 in Washington on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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A man, wearing a protective mask, walks past shops in Union Station in Washington, DC on March 9, 2020. – US health authorities urged Americans most at risk of getting seriously ill from the new coronavirus, COVID-19, to stock up on food and medicine and prepare to remain at home, as the pathogen spread rapidly across the country. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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A man wearing a mask against infections listens while Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, speaks during the Satellite 2020 at the Washington Convention Center on March 9, 2020, in Washington, DC. – Global financial markets tanked, oil prices crashed and Italy extended strict quarantine measures across the whole country on Monday as the deadly coronavirus disrupted economies and societies across the world. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND – APRIL 02: Silver Diner beverage manager Richard Torres helps hand out 400 free meals outside the restaurant during the coronavirus pandemic April 02, 2020 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. With thousands of children missing meals due to the COVID-19 pandemic closing schools, Silver Diner is partnering with Real Food for Kids to provide 400 free meals a day to families in need beginning at 2pm every weekday. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – MARCH 13: Shelves normally stocked with hand wipes, hand sanitizer and toilet paper sit empty at a Target store as people stockpile supplies due to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) March 13, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. The U.S. government is racing to make more coronavirus test kits available as schools close around the country, sporting events are canceled, and businesses encourage workers to telecommute where possible. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 09: A worker disinfects the front doors of the School Without Walls High School, which was closed today after a member of the school’s staff reported close contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus, on March 09, 2020 in Washington, DC. Three D.C. public schools were closed today for deep cleaning. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 07: A coronavirus public service announcement is displayed on the scoreboard prior to Inter Miami and D.C. United playing at Audi Field on March 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BJ Forte / NBC Washington
Costco in Leesburg, Virginia
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A passenger landing from Vienna, Austria, reunites with family members in the International arrivals zone at Dulles airport outside Washington on March 13 2020. – US President Donald Trump said Friday he was considering adding Britain to a ban on travelers from mainland Europe as London warned the coronavirus outbreak may have infected up to 10,000 people there. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
Children, some wearing face masks as a preventive measure, pick up free lunch at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Virginia on March 16, 2020, after schools in the area closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. – Stocks tumbled on March 16, 2020 despite emergency central bank measures to prop up the virus-battered global economy, as countries across Europe started the week in lockdown and major US cities shut bars and restaurants. The virus has upended society around the planet, with governments imposing restrictions rarely seen outside wartime, including the closing of borders, home quarantine orders and the scrapping of public events including major sporting fixtures. (Photo by Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Cleaning staff is seen in the near empty Pentagon City Mall in Arlington, Virginia on March 17, 2020. – The coronavirus outbreak has transformed the US virtually overnight from a place of boundless consumerism to one suddenly constrained by nesting and social distancing.The crisis tests all retailers, leading to temporary store closures at companies like Apple and Nike, manic buying of food staples at supermarkets and big-box stores like Walmart even as many stores remain open for business — albeit in a weirdly anemic consumer environment. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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A family wear protective face masks while carrying luggage at the Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., on Monday, March 16, 2020. The airline industry, ravaged by plummeting bookings due to the coronavirus, is seeking grants and loans totaling as much as $58 billion from the U.S. government as well as temporary relief from various taxes. Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND – MARCH 16: (L-R) Carroll Hospital Outpatient Wound Care Clinical Manager Dawn Canova, Critical Care Unit Clinical Manager Stephanie Bakert and other volunteers wait for people to be tested for the coronavirus at a drive-thru station in the hospital’s parking garage March 16, 2020 in Westminster, Maryland. Not open to the general public for testing, the station was set up to take samples from people who had spoken with their doctors and received explicit direction to get a test for the novel coronavirus called COVID-19. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND – MARCH 16: Dawn Canova, clinical manager for outpatient wound care at Carroll Hospital, prepares to take samples from people so to test them for the coronavirus at a drive-thru station in the hospital’s parking garage March 16, 2020 in Westminster, Maryland. Not open to the general public for testing, the station was set up to take samples from people who had spoken with their doctors and received explicit direction to get a test for the novel coronavirus called COVID-19. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 17: Director of U.S. Senate Radio & Television Correspondents Gallery Mike Mastrian wipes clean the podium as a precaution in response to coronavirus prior to a news conference at the gallery’s studio March 17, 2020 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. The death toll of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. has reached to 100. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, – MARCH 17: Robert Lee of the District of Columbia walks through the Penn Quarter of the city, which is mostly empty of vehicle traffic and pedestrians due to the coronavirus outbreak March 17, 2020 in Various Cities, United States. Millions of workers and students have been told to stay home to avoid contracting the COVID-19 virus as it sickens more and more people across the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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UNITED STATES – MARCH 18: An apartment building resident uses Post-it notes to send a message to their neighbors across the courtyard as most worker are working from home due to coronavirus precautions in Washington on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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A woman walks through an empty shopping area due to social distancing and store closings because of the outbreak of COVID-19, known as coronavirus, at Washington Union Station in Washington, DC, March 20, 2020. – Whole Foods, like several other retailers, is reserving some hours for customers 60 years and older to minimize contact with others as people social distance due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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Customers wear face masks as a preventive measure against coronavirus, COVID-19, while shopping in a supermarket in Washington, DC on March 22, 2020. – Across the globe an estimated 900 million people are confined to their homes, according to an AFP tally. The majority are hemmed in by obligatory government lockdown orders while others are under curfew, in quarantine or following advice not to leave their homes. In the US more than a third of the population are adjusting to life in various phases of lockdown. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
Health officials walk with supplies from a screening area for international arrivals in the terminal at Dulles International airport in Dulles, Virginia on March 17, 2020. – The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak has transformed the US virtually overnight from a place of boundless consumerism to one suddenly constrained by nesting and social distancing.The crisis tests all retailers, leading to temporary store closures at companies like Apple and Nike, manic buying of food staples at supermarkets and big-box stores like Walmart even as many stores remain open for business — albeit in a weirdly anemic consumer environment. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP
A member of Jesus’ Church prays in the back seat of a car during a Sunday church service held at Great Marsh Park in Cambridge, Maryland, on March 22, 2020. – Pastor Abraham Lankford, who leads Jesus’ Church secured the site after concerns over the new coronavirus prompted orders from state government to limit gatherings to less than 10 people. Across the globe an estimated 900 million people are confined to their homes, according to an AFP tally. The majority are hemmed in by obligatory government lockdown orders while others are under curfew, in quarantine or following advice not to leave their homes. In the US more than a third of the population are adjusting to life in various phases of lockdown. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP)
Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
A computer model shows the protein structure of a potential coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccine at Novavax labs in Rockville, Maryland on March 20, 2020, one of the labs developing a vaccine for the corona virus, COVID-19. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
Three potential coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccines are kept in a tray at Novavax labs in Rockville, Maryland on March 20, 2020, one of the labs developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, COVID-19. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP
Medical personnel conduct doctor prescribed only drive-thru testing for COVID-19 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 19, 2020. – Patients must first be evaluated and referred by care providers working in the LifeBridge Health Virtual Hospital. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP)
(Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Shoppers wear masks as they wait in line to get into Lowes Home and Garden Center in Washington, DC, on April 5, 2020. – The number of confirmed coronavirus, COVID-19, cases in the United States has topped 300,000 and there have been more than 8,100 deaths, Johns Hopkins University reported on Saturday. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP)
