DC Drops Mask Mandate and Vaccination Requirement

by Devon Mitchell

On February 14th, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser dropped the city’s mask mandate and vaccination requirement.  

Beginning March 1st, masks will no longer be required indoors, except on public transportation. Starting on Tuesday, February 15th, residents will no longer need to show proof of vaccination to enter DC businesses. Individual businesses will continue to have the option to require masks or proof of vaccination. Bowser was met with pushback from residents and city council members who called the decision “premature”. The decision raises concerns for the immunocompromised as this could pose health risks. Additionally, opponents of Bowser’s decision argued that this could discourage folks from giving business to places that do not require vaccines.  

Bowser rationalized the decision with statistics from the region. 93% of DC residents have had at least one dose of the vaccine and COVID cases after the Omicron surge has decreased. The mayor is also faced with political pressure to transition from a “pandemic” to an “endemic”. Bowser expressed this pressure by saying, “We also know that people who have been vaccinated and others are wanting to get back to their normal lives.” 

Washington D.C. is not the only place to loosen COVID restrictions. California, New York, and Maryland are just a few states to end indoor mask mandates. This poses the question, are we on our way to an endemic?