Mandates On COVID Vaccination, Masks To Be Eased In DC

WASHINGTON, DC — The vaccination requirement in indoor venues and indoor mask requirement in some locations will be lifted on two upcoming dates, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Monday.

The mayor announced the upcoming easing of restrictions in a Monday COVID-19 update. The requirement for indoor venues to check for COVID-19 vaccination will be lifted starting Tuesday, Feb. 15. Businesses may choose to keep their own vaccination requirements if they choose.

The mask requirement for indoor spaces will be lifted on March 1. On that date, masks will no longer be required at restaurants and bars, sports and entertainment venues, gyms, recreation centers, indoor athletic facilities, houses of worship, businesses, grocery stores and pharmacies, retail establishments, and DC government offices with no public interaction. Masks will be required at any business that decides to have a mask requirement, schools, child care facilities, libraries, congregate settings like nursing homes and shelters, health care and medical facilities, public transit including taxis and ridesharing, and DC government facilities with direct interaction such as DMV centers. The mask mandate had last been lifted in late November, but the measure was brought back in late December as the omicron variant brought increased COVID-19 cases.

The mayor cited a decrease in cases since the peak of the omicron wave of cases. According to the mayor's presentation, cases have fallen by over 90 percent since the peak and hospitalizations have dropped by 95 percent. As of Feb. 10, DC Health data showed a weekly case rate of 152.7 cases per 100,000 people, down from 1,532 a month ago.

While planning to ease mandates, the mayor stressed the importance of COVID-19 boosters, citing data that demonstrates vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization and death.

This article originally appeared on the Washington DC Patch