D.C. indoor venues to require proof of COVID vaccination

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday that proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required at certain indoor venues as coronavirus cases increase in the city. 

Indoor venues such as restaurants, bars, nightclubs, recreation centers, cultural and entertainment facilities and event and meeting places will have to check that customers 12 years old and older have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

The order takes effect Jan. 15, and proof of a second dose will be required starting Feb. 15. Businesses will have to post signs to let patrons know that proof of vaccination is required. 

“We all have a responsibility to keep our communities safe. We all have to respond to this virus as it presents,” Miss Bowser said at a press conference. We also think this is a benefit to their businesses.” 

The requirement does not apply to some venues such as grocery stores, churches and museums. 

Acceptable documents for proof of vaccination will include a CDC issued vaccination card, immunization record print out from a healthcare provider and a COVID-19 verification app such as VaxYes or CLEAR. 

Starting in March, all students at D.C. public schools and charter, independent, private and parochial schools who are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine will be required to be inoculated against the virus. Students have 70 days from the date of eligibility to get their shots. The vaccine mandate enforcement will begin in the 2022-2023 school year. 

The D.C. Council voted Tuesday to approve the measure. The mandate also applies to early childhood workers. 

“This is essentially adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations that are already required for students and daycare centers and childcare centers,” said council member Christina Henderson,  at-large independent. 

More than a dozen schools in the District switched to virtual learning this week due to increasing COVID-19 infections, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee tweeted Tuesday. 

Earlier this week, Miss Bowser declared a state of emergency and reinstated the indoor mask mandate. 

Coronavirus infections in the District have climbed dramatically in the last month. City health data as of Monday shows that the daily coronavirus case rate has increased to 123.8 cases per 100,000 residents, a jump from 13.7 per 100,000 a month ago. Hospitalizations in the District due to COVID-19 are actually down to 3.3%, a drop from 5.6% a month prior, figures reveal. 

The increase in infections can be attributed to a winter surge and the presence of the fast-spreading omicron variant, said Patrick Ashley, senior deputy director of the D.C. Health Department. 

Although infections have increased, he said the rates for hospitalizations and deaths have generally stayed the same. He added he does not expect a tremendous surge in hospitalizations and deaths, noting other parts of the world aren’t showing large increases in COVID-19 rates. 

Twenty-five coronavirus cases of the omicron strain have been confirmed in the District, but there are an additional 50 recently sequenced cases to be confirmed, according to Mr.  Ashley. He said it’s just a matter of time before the omicron variant becomes the dominant strain in the city. 

Mr. Patrick urged people to get vaccinated and to get booster shots, citing national statistics that show differences in the level of protection against the coronavirus between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. 

Unvaccinated people are five times more likely to get infected with COVID-19 than vaccinated individuals, eight times more likely to be hospitalized and 14 times more likely to die, he said. 

Fully vaccinated people with boosters are 10 times less likely than unvaccinated people to get infected with COVID-19, 2.5 times less likely to get infected than fully vaccinated people without boosters and 20 times less likely to die from the coronavirus than unvaccinated people, Mr. Patrick added, citing recent CDC data. 

“The data is clear here: individuals that get boosted have the highest degree of protection from COVID-19,” he said. “It’s not enough to just get your two shots. You’ve got to go out and get your booster.” 

D.C. vaccination sites on Wednesday started giving priority to residents 65 years and older for booster shots, allowing seniors to move to the front of the line. 

Miss Bowser also offered tips to safely gather for the holidays, urging people to avoid crowded indoor and outdoor settings, wear a mask, choose less busy times to participate in holiday activities and opt for small gatherings rather than large gatherings. 

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.