José Andrés Closes DC-Area Restaurants Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

BETHESDA, MD — Celebrity chef José Andrés on Sunday announced that he was shutting down his restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area and transforming a few of those locations into community kitchens for those in need.

The closures are part of a nationwide effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, a virus that has infected more than 4,000 people in the United States and more than 179,000 others worldwide.

"We are in an unprecedented emergency," Andrés posted on Twitter, "and as painful as it is, ALL restaurants, bars, etc. must be closed across America if we are to avoid what's happening in other countries. This is the only way."

Andrés, a Bethesda resident, said he is turning a number of restaurants into community kitchens, including: Oyamel in Washington, D.C.; Zaytinya in Washington, D.C.; and Jaleo in Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland, and Crystal City, Virginia.

"People will be able to take food home or people will be able to eat from a take-out window right outside the restaurants, where we will have some tables in the terrace," Andrés said.