A D.C. Council member has withdrawn an emergency measure to reinstate a proof of vaccination requirement for certain types of businesses.
Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau said while she believes the majority of the Council supports the measure, they don't have the nine votes required to pass it.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser lifted a mandate requiring proof of vaccination at indoor public places such as restaurants and gyms Tuesday. The mandate was in place for one month.
"Since the height of omicron wave entered the District in December, cases have dropped more than 90%," Bowser said in a news conference Tuesday.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
But some Council members pushed back shortly after Bowser's announcement and said it was too soon to lift the requirement.
"Lifting this vaccine mandate right now, when children still haven't been vaccinated, and we're just on the precipice of that ... it just doesn’t make a lot of sense," Nadeau said. "You know, my fear is lifting it now is going to be very similar to lifting the mask mandate at the end of last year and just having to put it back into place two weeks later."
She said she heard from immunocompromised people who felt it was too soon to lift the requirement.
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson had planned to call a special session of the Council on Friday to take a vote.
