D.C. Sees Surge In Coronavirus Testing Demand Amid White House Outbreak

A nurse with the Washington, D.C. Dept. of Health is shown administering a coronavirus test last month. D.C. is now seeing a spike in demand for testing.

Alex Brandon / AP

As the scope of the White House coronavirus cluster comes into focus, D.C. residents are expressing frustration and concern about how the outbreak might affect the local community. Local government officials are reporting a surge in demand for coronavirus testing.

“It’s not just about the politicians that have tested positive,” D.C. resident Megan Peterman, 39, said Tuesday after she was tested at the Judiciary Square public testing site. “People work in the White House, and those people also shop at my grocery store and are out about town. It feels frankly really scary.”

On Monday, John Falcicchio, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s chief of staff, said the city had performed 3,962 coronavirus tests that day, an 81% increase from the previous Monday.