The nation’s capital is now the latest city to require proof of vaccination for indoor activities.
Democratic Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday that proof of vaccination will now be required at restaurants, bars, nightclubs, entertainment facilities, gyms and meeting places. The requirement will go into effect at 6:00 a.m. on Jan. 15.
Proof of vaccination will be required at: pic.twitter.com/kjY7IC0jLS
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) December 22, 2021
Individuals aged 12 and older will have to have received one dose of vaccine to be in compliance with the order. On Feb. 15, the requirement will escalate to full vaccination. All students in D.C. schools will need to be vaccinated by March 1.
Sixty-seven percent of the District of Columbia’s total population, including over 71% of the eligible population aged five and older, is already fully vaccinated, according to data from The Washington Post. The city estimates that 84% of residents are at least partially vaccinated. (RELATED: Despite Evidence, Walensky Refuses To Call Omicron ‘Mild’ In Interview With Fox’s Bret Baier)
Other major cities, including New York, San Francisco and Boston had previously announced similar vaccine mandates for indoor activities. Nationwide, 77% of Americans aged five and up have at least one dose of vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many jurisdictions are reimplementing restrictions due to the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant of the virus, which has become dominant in a span of just two weeks.