Thanksgiving gatherings in Washington, D.C., might look a little different again this year as the city’s mask mandate has been reimplemented and could remain in effect well through the holiday season, health officials say.
“We’re very hopeful that we’ll get back to normal around the holidays. We’re hopeful that by Thanksgiving, we’ll be in a different spot, but that relies on people getting vaccinated,” said Patrick Ashley, a senior deputy director of the D.C. Health Department, on Monday.
Amid a rise of delta variant coronavirus cases, city officials reimposed its mask mandate last week. Officials are also spurring people to get vaccinated, but neither recommendation has resulted in a drop in cases.
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Restaurants, gyms, and other entertainment venues are forcing both employees and customers to wear face masks and require proof of vaccination, but daily cases of the coronavirus are on the rise. Conversely, the number of people receiving the vaccine has remained stagnant.
The number of people getting tested for #coronavirus in DC has doubled in past week. As daily cases of #COVID19 continue to increase in DC. The number of people getting vaccinated remains stagnant at about 1,000 per day. @nbcwashington
— Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) August 9, 2021
DC #maskmandate to stay in place for at least “a few more weeks” and possibly through Thanksgiving @_dcHealth official tells @nbcwashington “we’re hopeful that on Thanksgiving we’ll be in a different spot, but that relies on people getting vaccinated”
— Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) August 9, 2021
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser drew some criticism over the mask mandate she imposed as, just before it, she celebrated her birthday with unmasked attendees.
Fewer than 24 hours later, she officiated a wedding featuring hundreds of unmasked guests.
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Bowser did not wear a mask during either event.
The mask mandate was reinstated as at least 3 out of 5 adults in the district and 3 in 4 seniors have been vaccinated. Of the nearly 400,000 district residents fully vaccinated against the pandemic, four died. The individuals were all elderly or had preexisting conditions.
