In response to a question about those comments, Bowser simply said that Mangla was not speaking for her administration. "The mask and vaccine mandates are of crucial essence to continue with the trends we are seeing right now," said Dr. Health argued that the city was not yet at the point where the mandates should be lifted. liquor board on the fate of The Big Board - an H Street bar that had its liquor license suspended after it refused to enforce the vaccine or mask mandates - an epidemiologist with D.C. During a hearing last week before the D.C. (Her decision to lift the indoor mask mandate in November was criticized, and reversed a month later.) One of those may have inadvertently comes from her own administration. Still, Bowser's move lift the month-old vaccine requirement is certain to draw criticisms that it's premature. data, more than 90% of residents are now partially or fully vaccinated just over 70% are fully vaccinated. had produced a spike in the number of people getting vaccinated, but that she had seen that number level off since then. Health, said the initial imposition of restrictions as the omicron variant hit D.C. "We do believe that we've gotten the push out of the vaccine requirement for indoor venues that we're going to get," she said.ĭr. Those moves have jumped ahead of recommendations from the White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Īs for D.C.'s vaccine requirement - which drew widespread condemnation from Republicans on Capitol Hill, a number of whom introduced bills to overturn it - Bowser simply said that it had met the city's stated goal of spurring more people to get the COVID-19 vaccine and was starting to show diminishing returns. comes as a growing number of Democratic governors in states from New York to California have lifted their own mask mandates, indicating a desire to return to some level of normalcy - or at least coexistence with COVID-19. The shift in both the vaccine and mask requirements in D.C. Instead, residents can use any of the new COVID Centers that have opened across the city. 26, the long-running program of COVID-19 testing at designated firehouses would be discontinued. No decision has yet been made on whether mask mandates for schools will be lifted.Īdditionally, Bowser said that as of Feb. government workers will remain in place, as will the new requirements - set to take effect in March - that eligible school kids also get vaccinated. Additionally, the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for D.C. This is where we've landed."īowser specified that masks would still be required in schools, child care facilities, public libraries, and other congregate facilities. We've seen a precipitous drop in case levels. "We are in a much better place now," she said, noting that COVID-19 cases have decreased by more than 90% and hospitalization rates 95% since the omicron wave started. 28 anyhow, though she could have extended it.) She also said that as of March 1 the city would no longer require that masks be worn inside businesses like restaurants, gyms, and retail establishments, though business owners would be allowed to continue to require masks themselves and the city would continue to advise people wear them. (The requirement for full vaccination was originally supposed to take effect on Tuesday.) Business will still be free to require that customers show proof of vaccination. businesses check that customers have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before allowing them to enter. Speaking at a press conference, Bowser said that as of Tuesday, she would lift the city's month-old requirement that many D.C. Virginia lawmakers are pushing forward on legislation to lift mask mandates for schools in the commonwealth. 22, and repeated the request first made last week that the State Board of Education rescind its masking policies for schools across the state. Larry Hogan also announced on Monday that he was ending the indoor mask mandate for state buildings as of Feb. The announcement comes amidst falling COVID-19 case rates and an increasing number of states that have similarly eased up on pandemic restrictions as the omicron spike seems to be receding. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Monday that she will lift the city's vaccine requirement for businesses and "dial back" the city's indoor mask rules. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday announced that COVID testing at local firehouses would end.ĭ.C.
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