Liberal cities Boston and Washington, DC roll back COVID vaccine mandates for businesses
Boston's mayor cited health data showing the city had met the necessary requirement to lift the mandate
Kacie McDonnell heads to Boston to scope out beautiful homes in the historic city
On the latest episode of ‘Mansion Global,’ Kacie McDonnell journeys to Boston, Massachusetts, to tour two luxury properties.
The city of Boston, Massachusetts has lifted its mandate requiring patrons of restaurants, gyms and other indoor locations to show proof of coronavirus vaccination, just days after another liberal city, Washington, D.C. made a similar move.
In a Friday announcement, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu cited health data showing Boston has a 4% community positivity rate, a nearly 91% occupancy rate of adult ICU beds, and seven-day average of adult COVID-19 hospitalizations of 196 per day.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks to the media on the impending Blizzard on January 28, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
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Wu, a Democrat, had said earlier that the proof of vaccination requirement would be lifted when the community positivity rate fell below 5%, fewer than 95% of ICU beds were occupied and the seven-day average of COVID-19 hospitalizations fell below 200 per day.
The city has now met all three criteria, Wu said. The goal of the policy was to curb a spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron variant.
A general view of the Boston skyline is seen on October 26, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Paul Marotta/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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"The public health data shows that we’re ready to take this step in our recovery," Wu said in a press release. "This news highlights how much progress we’ve made in our fight against COVID-19 thanks to vaccines and boosters — which have always been our most effective weapon against the pandemic."
Wu’s announcement comes as several other areas of the country have rolled back coronavirus restrictions including in Washington state where its indoor mask mandate and vaccine requirement for large events were waived this week.
Mask mandates were also recently lifted in Nevada and New Mexico.
On Monday, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the nation's capital is lifting its mask mandate for bars, gyms, and concerts. The mask mandate for children in school will remain in place.
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At the federal level, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday that her team will "soon put guidance in place" to update the agency’s mask recommendations.
FILE - Nurse Lydia Holly prepares a child's COVID-19 vaccine dose (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File / AP Newsroom)
"We are assessing the most important factors based on where we are in the pandemic, and we'll soon put guidance in place that is relevant and encourages prevention measures when they are most needed to protect public health and our hospitals. We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when these metrics are better and then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen," she said.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced earlier the same week that the vaccine mandate previously instated on private businesses such as restaurants, bars, and gyms would be rescinded.
The sudden about-face from the Democratic mayor came as one D.C. bar establishment, The Big Board, had its liquor license revoked for failing to comply with the city's COVID-19 mandates.
Associated Press contributed to this report