10 DC Council Members Ask Mayor To Keep Face Mask Mandate For Now

WASHINGTON, DC — Members of the Council of the District of Columbia are urging Mayor Muriel Bowser to reconsider ending the District's mask mandate.

Bowser said Tuesday the D.C. government will lift its indoor mask mandate on Nov. 22, though masks will still be required in some places. Ten of the D.C. Council's 13 members are urging her to reverse that decision.

In an open letter, the council members said, "We are concerned that changing course entering the Winter months, not to mention the week before a major travel holiday, is not a prudent course of action. It sends a signal that public health concerns are back to normal when they are not."

Council members expressed concern for children, particularly those under five years old who are ineligible for an approved vaccine against COVID-19.

"While they may be a 'small portion of the population,' they are one of the hardest to protect not having access to a vaccine," the council members wrote.

Read more: Indoor Mask Mandate In DC To Be Lifted In Most Public Places

The council members asked Bowser to join them on the weekly council executive call Friday to continue discussing this issue.