Children’s National, like other hospitals across the region and the country, has canceled most elective surgeries and non-urgent appointments. That, along with preparations for a potential rush of coronavirus patients, has put a temporary strain on finances, which prompted the measure, Little said.

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Requiring employees, including administrators and members of the leadership team, to take time off will help sustain financial operations and allow the hospital “to respond effectively to the pandemic, should there be a surge in covid-19 patients in our community,” she said. The requirements could be adjusted based on patient volume and workloads.

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The District has reported 3,532 coronavirus cases as of Friday, with 154 fatalities. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has warned that a peak in hospitalizations may not come until this summer.

Since last month, Children’s National has been running a drive-up and walk-up testing site for children who have a referral from a doctor for a covid-19 test.

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Other hospitals in the greater D.C. area have also announced cost-cutting measures in recent days.

Inova Health System in Northern Virginia said on Wednesday that it will lay off 427 of its employees, a result of the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. The laid-off employees will not include any doctors, nurses or other “front-line workers.”

Johns Hopkins Medicine also announced this week that leaders at the system will take salary reductions between 5 percent and 20 percent, and there will be limited furloughs and no merit raises for the next fiscal year.

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Johns Hopkins University and the health system will also suspend contributions to employees’ retirement accounts for the coming fiscal year.

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