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By Micha Green
AFRO D.C. Editor
[email protected]
According to the D.C. Health Statistics Summary, 401 District of Columbia residents have tested positive for COVID-19, 106 people have recovered and nine patients have died. One of the local decedents from the deadly disease hit home for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and her team.
“Today, it was with great sadness that I delivered the news that a member of my team and a longtime public servant, George Valentine, passed away due to COVID-19,” Bowser announced on Twitter on March 27. “We are all devastated.”
Valentine served as deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel, from March of last year, according to his LinkedIn account. Prior to his position in the Mayor’s Office, Valentine worked for the Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia.
“George’s dedication to the people he served was evident in his work and in the love and wisdom he shared with residents and colleagues. As we process this loss, my love and condolences are with George’s family and friends and with our team at D.C. Government,” Bowser wrote.
The deputy director had been admitted into the hospital on Wednesday according to Bowser, but did not know when he had been diagnosed. The mayor said she had not made direct contact with him and that her team was working on contact tracing.
“Our hearts go out to the family, friends and colleagues of George Valentine, Deputy Director of the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel, who lost his battle with #COVID19 last night,” tweeted the District of Columbia Council. “He had served in District government for two decades. He will be missed.”
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, Bowser is encouraging residents to stay home, while also putting orders in place to treat sick citizens.
On March 30, she issued a stay-at-home order for all residents effective April 1 at 12:01 a.m.
The stay-at-home order means residents are only allowed to leave their homes if they are engaging in essential activities such as obtaining medical care, food and household goods; work at essential businesses; perform or access essential government functions; engage in essential travel; or participating in a recreational activity allowed by the mayor, such as family exercise.
Those who purposefully disobey this law, according to the Mayor’s Office, “may be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, subject to a fine not exceeding $5,000, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.”
Earlier in the day, before officially issuing the stay-at-home order, Bowser held a press conference to address the pandemic’s rising numbers in the nation’s capital as well as relay plans.
“Our message remains the same, stay home,” the mayor said emphatically.
“Today [March 30] we are opening up a testing site for personnel and first responders that are in the D.C. Department of Corrections, the Metropolitan Police Department and Fire and EMS,” Bowser continued. “By the end of this week we will have our drive-through and walk-up testing sites operational at UMC for residents whose doctors have ordered a test.”
The mayor also emphasized that residents take necessary actions if they are feeling under the weather. “If you’re not feeling well, if you have symptoms of COVID-19, fever, cough or shortness of breath, we need you to call a doctor or medical provider, and we need you to stay home. Residents should not be trying to decide for themselves, whether or not they should be tested,” she said.
With schools and non-essential businesses closed, and thousands of residents either working from home or newly unemployed because of COVID-19, the mayor admits she understands the disadvantages of social distancing. Mayor Bowser encouraged Washingtonians to work together, as the city, nation and world work to contain the spread of the virus.
“A lot of sacrifices have been made, and these sacrifices will save lives. In the coming weeks we need to continue to work together to flatten the curve.”
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