Omicron Hits Washington... Negative Test Results Required for School Opening, Museums Closed

Washington DC Ranks First Nationwide in Infection Rate
Hospitalization Rate Also Soars

Residents of Washington DC, the capital of the United States, are lined up to get tested for COVID-19.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Washington DC, the capital of the United States, has become the largest Omicron variant COVID-19 outbreak area in the country. The number of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. has also skyrocketed to 260,000 cases per day.

As the COVID-19 surge hits the capital, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), urged the public not to hold large year-end parties.

CNN reported on the 29th (local time) that according to Johns Hopkins University data, the 7-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases was 265,427 as of the previous day. This surpassed the previous record of 251,989 cases set in January when the COVID-19 situation was at its worst.

U.S. media outlets such as The Washington Post pointed out that Washington DC and the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia are the epicenters of the Omicron variant outbreak.

Washington DC, in particular, has the highest infection rate per capita compared to any other state in the U.S. The DC area’s per capita hospitalization increase rate was more than three times higher than other states compared to a week ago. Maryland and Virginia ranked 5th and 9th, respectively.

Thanks to vaccines, hospitalizations in all three areas are lower than in January, but concerns remain that this could lead to future medical service shortages.

The worsening situation in Washington DC shows that Omicron infections are spreading from the Northeast regions such as New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island to the mid-Atlantic area near the Atlantic coast.

Measures to curb the spread of infections in the Washington DC area are also being introduced one after another. The DC health authorities have required students and staff to submit COVID-19 test results when schools reopen next month.

The Smithsonian museums, a representative tourist attraction in Washington DC, announced that starting today, four museums?the National Museum of African Art, the National Postal Museum, the Anacostia Community Museum, and the National Museum of Asian Art?will be closed until the 2nd of next month.

Some museums, such as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, will remain open. The Smithsonian museums had previously suspended operations immediately after the COVID-19 outbreak last year.

Dr. Fauci advised on the same day, "It would be best to avoid year-end parties where dozens of people gather."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.