ICYMI: Yesterday, Mayor Muriel Bowser, issued a stay at home order for the District of Columbia and will be effective from Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 12:01 am through April 24, 2020, or until the order is extended, rescinded or amended. Because of the risk of the rapid spread of COVID-19, the Mayor’s Order as issued, requires individuals in the District of Columbia to “stay in their residences except to perform essential activities engage in essential business, provide or obtain essential government services, or engage in certain authorized recreational activities not involving close contact with other people”. Any individual who willfully violates the stay-at-home order 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.
There are some exceptions specified in the order (full copy linked below) and we encourage members to read the order thoroughly and familiarize yourself with it. Individuals may leave their homes to seek medical care; to purchase food and household items; to work at essential businesses; to care for a family member or supervise children; to participate in outdoor activities in compliance with social distancing (i.e. running, dog-walking, biking, etc.) or to use essential travel (i.e. public transit, ride-share vehicles, bikes/scooters) to name a few.
To enforce the order DC Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) may request essential businesses to provide its plans for complying with the requirements of the Mayor's orders. Or ask non-essential businesses that are conducting minimum business operations to display their operational plan and detail how their activities fall within the allowable limits. Under the order, DCRA has the power to issue Notices of Infractions and Penalties of up to $1,000 per day for violations per worksite that are in violation of the order. DCRA may also issue additional penalties after an order to close or visit by an inspector. These are in addition to any penalties that may be imposed by the Alcohol Beverage Control Administration for those industries subject to their licenses.
