One of Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s staffers has died after contracting the coronavirus, her office announced Friday.
The individual’s name has not been released, but he was a lawyer in the Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel and had worked for the city for more than two decades, according to NBC Washington.
Washington D.C. has 267 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Friday, with neighbors Maryland and Virginia having an additional 1,378 combined.
“It’s devastating,” Bowser said. “We are just very sorry.”
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 02: Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser attends a news conference May 2, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Bowser confirmed the death at a press conference where she announced the city was requesting that residents vote by mail for the upcoming primary and special elections in June. (RELATED: LIVE UPDATES: Here’s What Every State In America Is Doing To Combat The Spread Of The Coronavirus)
D.C. ranked 10th in the nation for most aggressive response to the coronavirus earlier in March. Alongside the 50 states, D.C. ranked 10th in the individual category of preparedness and tied for first in emergency health preparedness funding per capita.
The city has shut down all non-essential businesses, with bars and restaurants being delivery-only.