DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced that she is reinstating the city’s indoor mask mandate as she declared a state of emergency in the face of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases around the country.
The reinstatement of the mask mandate will take effect starting Tuesday, December 21 at 6 am. It will remain in place until January 31, 2022 at 6 am.
During a press conference on Monday, Bowser also stated that the District’s vaccine requirements have expanded to include the booster shot for DC government employees, who will no longer have the “test out” option.
Bowser’s plan improves testing options with the Test Yourself Express program that will be launched on Wednesday, December 22. Residents will be able to pick up free at-home rapid antigen COVID-19 testing kits at eight District libraries six days of the week.
2) Reinstate the indoor mask mandate.
Beginning Tuesday, December 21st at 6 AM, the indoor mask mandate will be reinstated until 6 AM on January 31, 2022. pic.twitter.com/iCEvNeih9c
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) December 20, 2021
DC Health has ordered more than one million rapid antigen tests so far. Around 42,000 have already arrived and 200,000 are currently in transit.
Individuals are required to report their test results to health officials at coronavirus.dc.gov/overthecounter after using these tests at home. No more than two free rapid tests will be available per person each day.
The city’s free rapid testing sites are as follows:
