DC Mayor Announces Vaccine Mandate for Bars, Restaurants, Public Events
WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday that the city will soon require those who want to patronize bars and restaurants or attend indoor gatherings to show proof of coronavirus vaccination to be admitted.
During a weekly update on the state of the coronavirus in the city, Mayor Bowser said that beginning Jan. 15, anyone over the age of 12 will need to provide proof of having received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine before they’ll be allowed into indoor entertainment facilities.
And as of Feb. 15, patrons of indoor entertainment establishments will need to show proof that they have been fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
“If you are a resident who is not yet vaccinated but wants to continue to enjoy these activities, now’s the time to get vaccinated,” Bowser said on Wednesday.
Exemptions include grocery stores, retail shops, museums and houses of worship. Also, the mandate applies to patrons, but not to the staff working at these establishments.
The new moves come just days after Bowser reinstated the city’s indoor mask mandate.
According to the city, 1,213 new cases of the coronavirus were reported between Nov. 27 and Dec. 3, with the largest number of new cases — 306 — being among people 25-34 years of age. So far, only 25 of the total cases involved the new omicron variant, the D.C. Department of Health said.
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