Daily coronavirus infections surpass 3,000 in Washington, D.C., region, setting record for eighth day

The seven-day average of new cases across Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia stood Wednesday at 3,015, making it the eighth consecutive day with a record number of new cases. The continued surge comes as local leaders are reimposing restrictions and monitoring a leap in cases tied to a nationwide spike.

The region Wednesday recorded 3,514 new infections - the second-highest number in a single day since the start of the pandemic. The daily total trailed only Saturday, when 3,612 cases were reported.

The 206 new cases Wednesday in the District were, by far, the most in a single day since May. They sent the city's seven-day average caseload to 111 - up from 36 on Oct. 1.

Maryland's daily caseload of 1,714 also was the highest in one day since May, sending its recent average to a record high of 1,380 cases. More than 800 people are hospitalized in the state, the most since mid-June.

The spike in cases comes a day after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, reimposed coronavirus restrictions that had not been in place since the summer.

Maryland restaurants must reduce indoor dining capacity from 75 percent to 50 percent. The health advisory urges a 25-person cap on indoor gatherings and limits nonessential travel to 35 states.

Hogan said the indoor-dining and small-gathering measures were tailored to reduce the virus's spread. Both involve activities that contact tracers have identified as sources of infections.

Maryland has allowed local governments to impose more-restrictive policies than the state, and leaders in the Washington region generally have opted to reopen more slowly.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, a Democrat, plans to announce tougher coronavirus restrictions Thursday, including a smaller cap on the size of social gatherings. A spokesman for Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., a Democrat, said that jurisdiction is considering similar restrictions.

In Montgomery County, lawmakers on Tuesday approved an order by County Executive Marc Elrich, a Democrat, to limit gatherings to a maximum of 25 people and reduce capacity for restaurants and shops from 50 percent to 25 percent.

Virginia's 1,594 new cases Wednesday were short of a one-day record, but the state's seven-day average of 1,524 daily cases did enter new territory.

Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, on Tuesday urged residents to follow health protocols to slow the virus's spread, but said it is not the time to toughen enforcement or impose new restrictions. District officials this week said they are regularly evaluating restrictions.

Maryland is recording an average of 23 new cases each day per 100,000 residents, a statistic that stands at 18 in Virginia and 16 in the District. The national average Wednesday stood at 37 new cases per 100,000 residents.

Caseloads have been rising in the Washington region for weeks. Health experts say colder weather has pushed activities indoors and that the public is increasingly letting down its guard with regard to social distancing, mask-wearing and limiting social interactions.

Contact tracing shows much of the spread is occurring during social and family gatherings. Officials also have sounded the alarm in recent weeks about holiday travel potentially increasing the virus's spread.

More than 350,000 people opted into Maryland's smartphone contact-tracing app on Tuesday, the first day it was operational, state officials said. The app, available on Apple and Android phones, assigns users random numbers that can be used to trace whether they have encountered someone who later tests positive for the virus.

Some of Maryland's highest rates of infection are in rural areas that were largely spared in the spring when the virus swept through the state's populated Washington suburbs and the Baltimore area. The seven-day average of new cases in Western Maryland's Allegany County is more than five times that of 14 days ago.

On Wednesday, Frostburg State University in Allegany County suspended in-person courses for the rest of the semester following a campus outbreak. Forty-five students and employees who have contracted the virus are in isolation.

The University of Maryland on Wednesday canceled Saturday's football game against Ohio State University after eight Maryland players tested positive for the virus this week.

Wednesday's seven-day average of 3,015 new infections in Virginia, Maryland and the District was well above the peak seen during the first wave of the pandemic. Before this recent surge in cases, a record high of 2,218 average daily infections had stood since May 31.

Despite the sharp rise in caseloads, the number of coronavirus-related fatalities in the region has generally held steady, with the seven-day average standing at 21 on Wednesday. The region added 31 new deaths Wednesday, with 16 in Maryland, 15 in Virginia and none in D.C.