DC ‘dials back’ indoor masking, largely ending its mandate

Not long after Montgomery County, Maryland, reinstated its mask mandate, D.C. is largely scaling back its own indoor masking as of Monday,

The change to the District’s approach to masking was released Friday. The city will shift to risk-based guidance from D.C. Health based on current community health metrics and a person鈥檚 individual risk and vaccination status.

鈥淣ow, I want to be very clear,鈥� Bowser said on Friday. 鈥淭his does not mean that 鈥� everyone needs to stop wearing their mask, but it does mean that we鈥檙e shifting the government鈥檚 response to providing you this risk-based information and recommending layering strategies as the best way to protect yourself and the community.鈥�

The updated guidance doesn’t mean people in the District can stop wearing masks altogether.

Regardless of vaccination status, masks are still required some places:

Private businesses that want a mask requirement.
Public transit like buses and trains, inside train stations, in airports and ride-share vehicles.
Inside schools, child care facilities and libraries.
Congregate facilities, such as nursing homes/assisted living facilities, shelters, dorms/residences and correctional facilities.
D.C. government buildings where there is direct interaction between employees and the public (like a DMV service center; DHS service center, etc.).

Gyms and places of worships can require masks if they want, but masks aren’t mandated. The news is welcomed as gyms in the District called for looser mask mandates with little success until now.

Almost 90% of District residents ages 12 and older and 99% of the area’s residents ages 65 and older have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Between the high number of people vaccinated and natural immunity increasing, the mayor’s office said COVID-19聽will “likely” shift from pandemic to endemic.

The seven-day average of transmissions is 13.1 new daily cases per 100,000 people, according to the mayor’s order.

The order said 97% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 in the district are unvaccinated against the virus.

The new order doesn’t discontinue previous orders regarding vaccines including one聽requiring聽聽to get vaccinated.

District employees who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-10 are required to continue wearing masks inside government buildings or while on duty.

Knowingly violating the order could result in sanctions including civil fines of no more than $1,000.

D.C. Health will continue to .

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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: | |

91欧美激情’s Will Vitka contributed to this report.

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