Following DC mayor Muriel Bowser’s lead, Montgomery County could soon have similar proof of vaccination requirements for a variety of indoor venues. The idea of matching the District’s new vaccine mandate is to create a “regional approach,” county officials said during a news briefing, according to Bethesda Magazine.
The proposal is expected to be in front of the Montgomery County Council on January 4.
The District announced its new mandate on Wednesday, requiring proof of vaccination for restaurants, gyms, entertainment facilities, and other indoor venues starting January 15. The rule also applies to children, requiring that kids 12 and older must have at least one shot to enter most indoor public spaces by the January deadline.
Montgomery County is historically cautious in their approach to Covid-19 and strict when it comes to local guidelines compared to the rest of Maryland (and sometimes the region). It was the last area to bring back indoor dining last February (and then did so with time limits). More recently MoCo reinstated its mask mandate in November just as DC’s was lifted.