The head of the Greater Washington Urban League said the organization strongly supports D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's decision to extend the District's shelter-in-place policy to June 8 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic

George Lambert Jr., GWUL president/CEO, said D.C. is facing an unprecedented public health emergency that shows no signs of decline.

"The mayor's decision is a prudent and a measured approach that reflects her desire to keep District of Columbia residents safe," Lambert said in a statement. "

Based on the District's most recent data, 6,584 residents have tested positive and 350 people have died.

Lambert said that while the pandemic affects everyone, D.C. residents can ill afford to overlook the obvious that African Americans and Latino communities are disproportionately represented.

"We are all hurting, those who gotten sick, the families of those who have died and those essential workers who are forced to choose between going to work and safeguarding their health.