D.C. to lift COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates

Less than a month after it went into effect, Washington, D.C. is dropping its COVID-19 vaccine requirement and will soon end its indoor mask requirement. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the vaccine requirement will end Tuesday, Feb. 15, adding that she believes the vaccine requirement did its job, convincing more people to get vaccinated. Bowser also announced the district’s indoor mask mandate would be modified March 1.

Bowser had previously announced that starting January 15, all people over 12 must show proof of at least partial vaccination to enter most businesses, including entertainment venues, restaurants and gyms. Under the initial order, people must have had both vaccine doses by February 15. With Bower’s decision, that requirement is moot.

“We do believe we got the push out of the vaccine requirement for indoor venues that we’re going to get,” Bowser said.

Businesses may still choose to require vaccinations. Reformation Fitness, with two locations in the district, has required booster shots for clients since the start of 2022. Pitchers, a bar in northwest D.C., also required proof of vaccination to enter well before Bowser’s mandate.

But not everybody in America’s second most liberal city is happy with Bower’s decision.

“The vaccine mandate made it possible for many families, including mine, to feel a little comfort and calmed the anxiety of frontline workers and immunocompromised folks,” D.C. council member Robert C. White tweeted. (White is running for mayor against Bowser.)

“DC’s vaccine mandate lasted about as long as a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier and work out more,” Anna Spiegel, the food editor for Washingtonian Magazine, tweeted.

Bowser also announced the district’s mask mandate will be scaled back starting in March. Masks will still be required on public transportation, schools, and healthcare facilities, but will not be required in other places, including gyms, restaurants and grocery stores.