D.C. to lift COVID mask mandate in most public places, starting next week

The District of Columbia has announced that starting Tuesday the city will lift its COVID-19 mask mandate in most public places.

Mayor Muriel Bowser made the announcement Tuesday.

However, masks will still be required, regardless of vaccination, in businesses or other settings that choose to enforce a mask mandate and on public transit and in rideshare vehicles; inside schools, child care facilities and libraries; in facilities including nursing homes, shelters, dorms and jail and in  D.C. government facilities where employees and the public interact, according to NBC-4 TV in Washington, D.C.

"I want to be very clear: This does not mean that people should stop, that everyone needs to stop, wearing their mask. But it does mean that we're shifting the government's response," Bowser said.