WASHINGTON, DC (Sunday, March 15, 2020) –  As many clubs, restaurants, and bars in the District were operating almost as business as usual this weekend, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is putting a halt to normal operations.  Bowser today put out what she’s calling a clarification to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the District.

“This notice clarifies the actions restaurants, taverns, nightclubs, and multi-purpose facilities must take to comply with the District of Columbia Department of Health’s (DC Health) Emergency Rulemaking to Prohibit Mass Gatherings effective March 13, 2020,” said Bowser is a Sunday statement.

Restaurants and taverns licensed in the District of Columbia are approved with various configurations, floor plans, and occupancy limits. To comply with DC Health’s prohibition of mass gatherings and achieve the public health goals of social distancing, restaurants and taverns shall:

• Ensure that no more two hundred and fifty (250) people are present in the space at the same time
• Suspend the use of bar seating
• Suspend service to standing patrons
• Limit individual table seating to six (6) persons or less
• Ensure that tables (including booths) that are occupied by patrons are separated by at least six (6) feet of distance

Venues licensed as nightclubs and multi-purpose facilities in the District of Columbia must suspend operations to comply with the Emergency Rulemaking to Prohibit Mass Gatherings.

For more information on the District’s response, visit coronavirus.dc.gov.