D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Thursday morning she has tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement posted on X, Bowser said she will be following all public health guidelines, adding that she will miss the first day of school for pre-K students. “I’m disappointed to not be able to celebrate the first day of Pre-K with our littlest learners,” she said.

Yesterday, I tested positive for COVID-19.

I’m disappointed to not be able to celebrate the first day of Pre-K with our littlest learners. I will continue to follow public health guidelines. — Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) August 29, 2024

She previously tested positive in 2022. Bowser’s sister Mercia died in 2021 from complications linked to COVID-19. Although deaths and serious infections have dropped dramatically since the height of the pandemic, COVID-19 hospitalizations slightly crept up during the summer. As a result, the U.S. Health and Human Services plans to allow Americans to order free virus test kits to be mailed to their homes, starting in late September.