Vaccine requirements for patrons of indoor businesses will not return to Washington, D.C., after a city lawmaker abruptly withdrew her emergency proposal that sought to reinstate the districtwide mandate just days after it was lifted.
Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau announced in a statement Thursday night that she would no longer introduce the measure before the city council, noting that she “did not have a path” to the necessary votes for its passage.
“Unfortunately, although I do believe we might have garnered the support of a majority of the council on this legislation, we did not have a path to the nine votes needed to pass an emergency measure,” she said. “I want to thank all those who advocated in support of the emergency measure.”
Nadeau introduced the emergency measure Tuesday, the same day the vaccine mandate was lifted, arguing that it was necessary to keep industry workers protected amid the pandemic. However, it failed to gain much steam among other council members before its scheduled vote Friday morning.
“What I am honestly struggling [with] is how this meets our ultimate goal of increasing [the] fully vaxxed rate in our city, [especially] in Ward 7 & 8, where it is lowest,” tweeted Elissa Silverman, D.C. councilwoman at large, on Wednesday. “I pushed for vax mandate in high transmission sites months ago but [I] think at this point it is diminishing returns on vaxx rate.”
DC COUNCIL MEMBER ANNOUNCES BILL TO REINSTATE VACCINE MANDATE SAME DAY IT’S LIFTED
The measure needed nine votes to pass the council and would have required the mayor’s signature before taking effect. It’s unclear whether Mayor Muriel Bowser would have signed or vetoed the measure had it been approved. The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
If passed, the emergency measure would have reversed Bowser’s decision earlier this week to no longer require residents over age 12 to show proof of vaccination before entering restaurants, entertainment venues, and other recreational establishments.
“I still believe that reinstating the proof-of-vaccination requirement for certain establishments and facilities is the best way to protect public health and safety,” Nadeau said. “The executive has withdrawn this requirement when meaningful protection for children and people who are immunocompromised is just on the horizon.”
Bowser announced Monday that the districtwide vaccine mandate would expire Tuesday, exactly one month after it was implemented. The mayor rejected the view that revocation was a premature move, arguing that the city is in a “much better place” than it was at the height of the omicron variant surge.
“We have to be nimble if something is to change, like it changed in December, with a new, very contagious variant,” Bowser said in a press conference Monday. “I don’t think any of us can say here that there won’t be other variants that would require us to do something different.”
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A majority of district residents favor the vaccine mandates, according to a poll released by the Washington Post on Tuesday. The citywide survey found that 3 in 4 residents supported the requirement to show proof of vaccination before entering a business. Sixty-three percent said the level of restrictions imposed has been “the right amount.”
The vaccine mandate had support across various demographics — 86% of white residents, 63% of black residents — and a majority of support across different age groups and education levels, according to a poll analysis from the newspaper.
“The executive, however, has also withdrawn this protection at a time when 74% of Washingtonians want the requirement to remain in place — and when they have good reasons for doing so,” Nadeau said. “I am disappointed, but I am not deterred. I will continue to engage in the hard work of making the district safer, healthier, and fairer. “
