D.C. Easing Its Indoor Mask Mandate, Mayor Says

U.S.|D.C. eases its indoor disguise mandate, but inactive recommends masking up.

• Published Nov. 16, 2021Updated Nov. 17, 2021, 9:46 a.m. ET

Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington said connected Tuesday that an indoor mask mandate successful the nation’s superior would beryllium eased connected Nov. 22, reflecting a displacement distant from mask requirements arsenic coronavirus vaccination rates proceed to emergence and infections fueled by the Delta variant subside successful the city.

About 88 percent of the District of Columbia’s big residents person received astatine slightest 1 vaccine dose, according to metropolis wellness officials.

Masks volition inactive beryllium required successful definite circumstances, including connected nationalist transportation, wrong schoolhouse buildings and successful congregate surviving facilities similar nursing homes, assemblage dormitories and jails.

Ms. Bowser said the easing of the mandate did not mean that radical should halt wearing masks entirely. “It does mean that we’re shifting the government’s effect to providing you this risk-based information, and recommending layering strategies, arsenic the champion mode to support yourself and the community,” she said during a quality conference.

Washington imposed its existent disguise mandate successful July aft the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised everyone, whether vaccinated oregon not, to resume wearing look coverings successful indoor nationalist spaces if they lived successful an country wherever the microorganism was spreading rapidly. The bureau defined those areas arsenic places that reported much than 50 caller infections for each 100,000 residents implicit the erstwhile 7 days, oregon wherever much than 8 percent of tests had travel backmost affirmative implicit that period.

As of Tuesday, the District of Columbia was supra that threshold, with 81 caller Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents implicit the past 7 days, according to the C.D.C.