November 6, 2020
Dear Washingtonians,
On Monday, November 9, a new travel advisory will go into effect for Washington, DC. First and foremost, we want people to understand that traveling, especially right now, puts you at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. That is why we ask that you celebrate Thanksgiving either at home or close to home.
That said, if you do need to travel, we want you to be safe and smart - limit your activities to reduce your chances of getting infected and then use testing to understand your exposure.
Under the new travel advisory, people who are visiting DC need to:
-
Get tested before they travel to the District – within 72 hours of traveling. If they test positive, they should not travel.
- Visitors should also not come to DC if they are a close contact of a confirmed case.
- And if a person is visiting DC for more than three days, they also need to get tested again within 3-5 days of arrival. (Visitors can get free testing at one of the public testing sites.)
DC residents returning to the District after traveling to any place other than Maryland, Virginia, or a low-risk state or country must either:
- Limit daily activities and self-monitor for 14 days
upon their return; or
- Limit daily activities until they get tested for COVID-19 (within 3-5 days after their return) and receive a negative result.
Since March, we have built a robust testing infrastructure in Washington, DC. Free testing is widely available, and residents and visitors can access these sites to keep themselves, their families, their coworkers, and our community safe. Understand, though, that testing has its own limitations. A negative test today could be a positive test tomorrow. And just because a person tests negative does not mean they will remain virus free or that they cannot infect another person. That is why testing must be used carefully and in conjunction with other strategies for stopping the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing masks and social distancing.
Learn more about the updated travel advisory in yesterday's situational update and read the full Mayor's Order HERE.
Sincerely,
 Residents can now obtain at-home COVID-19 tests. These tests are available through the LabCorp site, and you can pay for a test, use your insurance, or take advantage of an option to utilize federal funds to cover the cost of the test.
Individuals interested in obtaining an at-home test can find more information at coronavirus.dc.gov/testing or go directly to the LabCorp site HERE.
Back to Top
 The DC Department of Public of Works will resume its vacuum leaf program when it begins its 2020 leaf collection campaign on Monday, November 9. Residents no longer need to bag their leaves. Instead, residents are asked to rake their leaves to the curb or into the tree box at the front of their residence. To help ease the vacuum process, residents are also asked to keep vehicles away from the curb lanes on scheduled collection days.
Residents who may have already received the District-provided paper bags should keep them and use them for yard waste or other needs. Residents who choose to bag their leaves are reminded that they will be collected on their scheduled leaf collection day.
Collections will still occur twice in each neighborhood, this year between November 9, 2020 and January 30, 2021. Leaf collection schedules and frequently asked questions can be found HERE.
Back to Top
 DC residents are encouraged to sign up for high-quality, affordable health insurance at DCHealthLink.com, the District’s online state-based health insurance marketplace established under the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment for District residents runs through January 31, 2021.
For 2021, there are 25 private health insurance options from CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente for residents. There are plans to fit all budgets, and 15 of the 25 health plans will have lower premiums than in 2020. All DC Health Link health plans cover COVID-19 diagnosis, testing, and treatment without deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.
District residents can enroll in a health insurance plan online through DCHealthLink.com or by calling 855-532-LINK [5465]. Some residents will qualify for reduced premiums. Residents who enroll on or before December 15, 2020 will have their coverage start January 1, 2021.
Back to Top
 DC CAN is the official COVID-19 exposure notification system for DC. Through the system, which uses Bluetooth technology, you will get an alert if you may have been exposed to a person who tested positive for COVID-19. DC CAN was developed through a privacy-first approach. The system does not share location data from the user’s device with DC Health, Apple, or Google. In addition, people who test positive for COVID-19 are not identified by the system to other users or to Apple or Google.
If you have an iPhone, just go into your settings, choose "Exposure Notifications," then select "United States" and "District of Columbia." (If you don't see "Exposure Notifications" in your settings, you need to update your phone.) iPhone users do not need to download a separate app.
If you have an Android, download the DC CAN app in the Google Play store.
Learn more at coronavirus.dc.gov/dccan.
Back to Top
|
