Washington DC stops requiring the use of a mask indoors

Washington D.C. will lift the requirement to wear masks indoors starting next week, as local cases of COVID-19 continue to decline.

As of Monday, November 22, the use of masks indoors will no longer be required. The requirement will be maintained in certain places, such as schools, libraries, public transport, transport vehicles by app and community housing such as nursing homes, dormitories and prisons, the municipal Health Department said in a statement. Additionally, private companies will still be able to require clients to wear masks.

In May, the nation’s capital dropped the requirement to wear masks indoors for fully vaccinated people, but reimplemented it in late July, when cases spiked again. According to data from the Department of Health, the current seven-day average of new cases – the department’s preferred metric – is higher than in May, when the requirement to wear masks for the first time, but still well below the peak. recorded in late August and September due to the delta variant.

The Washington metropolitan area remains a “substantial” transmission zone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Mayor Muriel Bowser has repeatedly described such requirements as a kind of thermostat knob that can be turned on or off depending on changing conditions.

The provisions do not apply to federal Washington sites, such as the White House and Congress. Spokesman Kevin Munoz said the presidential residence will not remove its indoor mask requirement.

“The White House follows CDC guidelines, which recommend wearing masks in areas of high or significant transmission,” Munoz said.