The House is lifting its mask mandate just in time for President Biden’s State of the Union address this week.
Capitol Physician Brian Monahan told lawmakers in a letter on Sunday that individuals may now choose whether to wear a face mask or not, but it is no longer a requirement.
The Hill reports: The House is lifting its mask mandate ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union address this week, making mask wearing optional throughout the Capitol complex.
In a letter on Sunday, Capitol Physician Brian Monahan shared the changes with lawmakers returning to Washington this week.
“Individuals may choose to mask at any time, but it is no longer a requirement,” he wrote.
Monahan said positive COVID-19 test rates at the Capitol are down to 2.7 percent in the last two weeks, below the current rate for the DC-Metropolitan area (4.7 percent).
The Washington, D.C. area is a ‘green level,’ according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) metrics, meaning that COVID-19 transmission is low.
The CDC on Friday eased its mask recommendation for most Americans, advising that people living in communities with “low” or “medium” COVID-19 levels can go maskless.