DC vaccine mandate: City officials now say they will require photo ID with vax card
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's office held a virtual town hall Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to clear up some of the confusion and and answer any questions about the impending citywide vaccine mandate.
The District announced last week that everyone ages 12 and older must have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 6 a.m. on Jan. 15 to patron bars, restaurants, nightclubs and gyms. Then on February 15, anyone ages 12 and older must have proof of full vaccination.
READ MORE: DC to require proof of vaccination at bars, restaurants, gyms and more on Jan. 15
City officials discussed a number of details Tuesday, but one announcement that jumped off the page was when they declared that citizens would not be required to present a valid ID when displaying their proof of vaccination in order to enter establishments.
"As of now there is no ID requirement for the vaccine card. We want to make this as simple as possible," said Patrick Ashley, Senior Deputy Director of D.C. Health.
This would mean that, in theory, there would be no way to verify if the name on the vaccine card was actually the individual holding the card.
However, Mayor Bowser clarified that photo ID would be required when presenting vaccination cards when 7News asked about it at a press conference Wednesday.
This is obviously a change from what was said Tuesday.
RELATED: Fake COVID-19 vaccination cards are flooding the internet
The town hall camed just one day after the CDC released some disturbing COVID-related numbers regarding the District. New data released Monday shows a surge in COVID-19 cases in D.C., making the nation's capital an omicron hot spot.
READ MORE: DC is an omicron hot spot, new COVID-19 data shows 3,330% increase in cases
Cases have gone from a daily average of 60 at Thanksgiving to nearly 2,000 currently. That's a staggering 3,300% increase from late November.
Other city announcements
City officials also said Tuesday that establishments dealing with unruly customers should deal with them as they always have, either with their own security or by calling the police. Officials added that they don't want individuals to take additional steps to verify the validity of vaccine cards.
They also said that major city events will be held as scheduled, such as sporting events and the 2022 Cherry Blossom Festival.
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