Extreme heat caused Washington, D.C. officials to shut down free coronavirus testing centers Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Sunday night.

Due to the sweltering heat, the District’s grocery distribution sites would also close, but free meal locations would remain open. “We have over 100 people that operate the sites wearing full PPE, personal protective equipment,� Christopher Rodriguez, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency told DCist. “And we want to make sure, if there are lines, people aren’t waiting outside in the heat because it will be extreme.�

Due to dangerously hot temperatures, on Monday, July 20, the District’s public COVID-19 testing sites, including the downtown and Anacostia sites and firehouse locations, will be closed. Residents are encouraged to call their health care providers if they are in need of a test.

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) July 20, 2020

Climate change is making heat waves both more extreme and more frequent. The District’s testing site closures come less than a week after an American Public Media investigation found Black D.C. residents are dying at 5.9 times the rate of white D.C. residents — a disparity worse than any other big American city with published demographic data.