More people in DC are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and some safety rules are being tightened, Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday.
More people in DC are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and some restrictions will be relaxed soon, Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday.
Some of the changes regarding vaccinations:
- People in Phase 1b Level 3 and Phase 1c Level 1, including postal workers, frontline traffic officials and court clerks, as well as people aged 16 to 64 in high-risk conditions, are eligible this week.
- As of March 29, those at Phase 1c Level 2, which includes public transport workers, including hitchhikers, logistics workers and media workers, will become eligible.
- As of April 12, people in Phase 1c Level 3, which includes key workers at colleges and universities, construction and information technology workers, will become eligible.
- On May 1, Bowser said, all 16 years and older and not at an earlier stage will be eligible.
“Considering that we still have a limited vaccine supply,” said DC Health Director, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, eligible people can start receiving appointments during the week they become eligible, “but it depends on our supply of vaccines. vaccine”.
She said “we understand” that there will be enough vaccine in the United States by the end of May for each adult to actually receive their dose.
You can see all the layers and who is in them on the DC vaccine website.
Some restrictions to be relaxed
As of Monday, DC began considering dismissing professional sports teams to play in front of fans.
The Nationals will have fans on Opening Day on April 1, after Bowser’s office confirmed approval of its application on Monday night. According to the acceptance letter, Nationals Park may have maximum 5,000 fans, which is 10% of the capacity.
DC United was the first professional DC sports team to have their fans return request to Audi Field approved on Monday afternoon. On 2,000 fans will be able to watch the matches at home as soon as the Major Football League season begins. United’s home debut against New York City FC is scheduled for April 17.
Both teams were asked to focus on four main components as part of their reopening plans: directing fans to their seats and out of the stadium; minimize any meetings around restrooms and other meeting places; prioritizing contactless and seated food services; and enforcing the COVID-19 protocols defined by CDC and DC Heath, “especially wearing a mask and social distance”.
Other changes to external restrictions being made include:
- Outdoor meetings for up to 50 people are now allowed, and low to moderate high school and high school sports can resume in the next week.
- Indoor gym classes can be resumed with up to 10 people and outdoors with up to 50. Gyms can have up to 25% capacity or up to 250 people, whichever is less.
- Alcohol can now be sold in restaurants until midnight, and movie theaters can open up to 25 people or 25%, whichever is less.
- From March 22, restaurants can open for indoor meals with 25% capacity or up to 250 people.
- Merchants can begin to request exemptions from live entertainment; some live entertainment will begin next week, said Bowser.
In schools, Nesbitt said, the cohort is strongly encouraged to minimize the number of students and staff who spend the day together. Other extracurricular activities are no longer prohibited, but it is recommended that they be moderated to provide at least 10 feet of distance between participants.
You can see all the new rules on the DC website.
“We didn’t destroy this virus,” said Bowser. “People are still dying.”
She added, however, that “there are more and more things we can do today, and there will be even more things we can do … as we move forward on the calendar – assuming our numbers continue to decline. There is hope; there are reasons to be optimistic. “
Vaccination numbers
Bowser said that just over 24,000 doses will be delivered to DC this week.
On Friday, DC sent 14,833 invitations to 13,360 appointments and 10,879 people booked appointments. A further 3,115 invitations came out on Monday to fill the vacancies available.
By 11:59 pm on Sunday, 114,815 people have signed up and are waiting for consultations.
Bowser added that the new vaccination invitations will be released on Thursdays at 10 am and Sundays at 10 am. More invitations will leave on Tuesdays at 10am, if there are any.
You can register to pre-register at vaccinate.dc.gov or call 855-363-0333.
Bowser said the public health emergency was extended until May 20.
More news about Coronavirus
Looking for more information? DC, Maryland and Virginia are releasing more data every day. Visit their official websites here: Virginia | Maryland | A.D
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