D.C. school employees required to get vaccinated
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All D.C. school and daycare employees — public, private, and charter — must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 with no option to test out, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced today.
- Student athletes over the age of 12 will also be required to get vaccinated in order to participate in after-school programs, the mandate says.
What they're saying: The D.C. Charter School Alliance applauded the mandate.
- "Many charter schools have already imposed these mandates. Others are prepared to do so, but feel strongly that careful coordination with the city is necessary for successful implementation," executive director Shannon Hodge said in a statement.
The big picture: The requirement comes a day after D.C. government employees were required to report their vaccination status. Unvaccinated employees are required to submit weekly test results.
- 87% of D.C. employees had submitted their status as of Monday, the mayor's office said. Of those, 72% are fully vaccinated.
- 475 religious exemptions have been requested, city administrator Kevin Donahue said, including 419 from D.C. Fire & EMS employees. None have been approved yet.
What's next: D.C. health care workers must receive at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or a Johnson & Johnson dose by Sept. 30.
- Workers who fail to do so may face disciplinary action
Unlike some cities — such as New York City — D.C. hasn't issued a vaccine mandate yet for restaurants or other indoor venues and seems unlikely to.
- Instead, many restaurants, theaters, and music venues have established their own vaccine requirements.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note that 87% of D.C. employees had submitted their vaccination status as of Monday (not Tuesday).