Mayor Muriel Bowser also announced on Monday that the city will no longer make masks mandatory in many indoor settings -including restaurants, bars, gyms and houses of worship -starting on March 1.
Bowser said a dramatic drop in COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations in recent weeks spurred the decision to relax some of the emergency measures introduced in December. In neighboring Maryland, Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, announced on Monday that the requirement for masks and face coverings in state buildings will end on February 22.The governors of New York and Massachusetts announced last week that they would end certain mask mandates in their states, following similar moves by New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Delaware and Oregon.