DC closes Beach Drive, other streets to cars to encourage "essential exercise"
A cyclist passes along Beach Drive just north of Joyce Road in Rock Creek Park on Monday, September 23, 2019, in Washington, DC. This section of road, part of the final stretch of the Beach Drive reconstruction project, will open this week, making th
WASHINGTON - Officials have closed Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park and other streets to motorists so that runners and bicyclists can access them unbothered for "essential exercise" during the coronavirus outbreak.
Beach Drive, which is already closed to cars on weekends, will remain closed to motorists through April 30, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says.
Anacostia Park and Fort Davis Drive in Fort Dupont Park will ALSO be closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through April 30.
The District is under a stay-at-home order, with only "essential" businesses remaining open. Most gyms closed weeks ago.
Anyone who goes outside to exercise is urged to maintain a six-foot distance from anyone else.
RELATED STORIES:
DC, Maryland and Virginia coronavirus case total surpasses 14,000
DC grocery store shoppers must wear face masks, Mayor Bowser says