Dining in D.C. Includes Coronavirus Disease Risk

In a sample of 100 new coronavirus cases reviewed by the Washington D.C. Health Department, about 25% of recently coronavirus-infected people ate inside a restaurant in D.C. while they were likely contagious, reported the Washington Post on August 14, 2020. In the District, unlike Maryland and Virginia’s health departments, D.C. doesn’t publicly list data on how many virus contacts are successfully reached.

The Department of Health currently employs about 300 contact tracers, who follow up with people every 5-days by phone after the initial contact, according to D.C. Health spokesperson Alison Reeves.