D.C. Reimposes Mask Mandate, While Va. and Md. Do Not
Dear Members,
Following the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations from this week, which recommend that everyone wear a mask indoors in places with "substantial" community spread of COVID, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that masks would be required indoors beginning Saturday, irrespective of ones vaccination status.
In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam issued an update that residents "should consider" wearing masks in crowded indoor spaces, but stressed that this "is not a requirement, but a recommendation." Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan also stated that a new statewide mask requirement is not currently being considered, and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said there is not currently any discussion of reimplementing one there.
Currently, our region is seeing increased COVID case rates compared to a month or two ago, though they are significantly lower than other parts of the country that have vastly lower vaccination rates. As a result, many of the counties in our region do not meet the threshold the CDC has defined for "substantial" community spread, and we certainly hope that trend holds going forward.
We wanted to make sure you were aware of these latest developments, and we will be sure to keep our membership updated whenever these guidelines change in the future. We continue to encourage your employees to take advantage of the highly-effective vaccines that are available, without appointment, at numerous locations across our region.
Sincerely,
John O'Donnell
WANADA President and CEO
