All adults in D.C. will become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1, D.C. Health Director Laquandra Nesbitt announced at a news conference Monday.
Nesbitt said vaccine eligibility will open this week for essential workers in mass transit, local government agencies, the U.S. Postal Service, public utilities, property maintenance and food, health, human, social, court, legal and environmental services. She said essential workers at local colleges and universities will become eligible to receive the vaccine April 12, along with construction, IT, property management and federal government workers.
University officials said last month that D.C. health officials will treat out-of-state students as city residents when they become eligible for the vaccine.
The District’s updated eligibility timetable falls in line with President Joe Biden’s plan to accelerate vaccine rollout and distribution across the country. Local residents around Foggy Bottom have struggled to obtain the vaccine, grappling with glitches and technical difficulties online while trying to book an appointment before the District launched its preregistration for all D.C. residents last week.
“We understand that the supply of vaccine should be sufficient by the end of May for every adult in the U.S. to be able to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,” Nesbitt said at the conference.
She said employees working in delivery services, non-public transportation and the media and mass communications will become eligible March 29.
Mayor Muriel Bowser extended the District’s public health emergency until May 20 while also rolling back several gathering and dining restrictions, effective next Monday. Bowser raised the outdoor gathering limit to 50 people and extended indoor dining limitations to either 25 percent capacity or 250 people.
She added that businesses can sell alcohol until midnight instead of the previous 10 p.m. cutoff.
“We are eager to all get back to normal with our restaurants, and we look forward throughout the spring to turning on activity,” Bowser said.
