DC staying restrictive, neighboring states opening up

DC maintaining restrictions for weddings and dining

The District is standing firm on restrictions for weddings and dining - prompting some to seek services elsewhere.

WASHINGTON - People want to know – when will life go back to normal in DC?

Neighboring states like Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey will be fully open by the end of May, but the district doesn’t plan to reevaluate any current guidelines until July 4th.

Fox 5 asked Mayor Muriel Bowser why and she said, "I’m the mayor of Washington, DC and so I work with our public health experts to make the decisions that are best for Washington, DC."

Right now in the nation’s capital, restaurants can only open up at 25%. Most of Maryland and all of Virginia have lifted capacity restrictions, but people still have to follow social distancing guidelines.

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So what about the future of those strict wedding restrictions we first told you about last week? Where you can’t stand or dance during the dinner or reception in DC. You have to stay seated the entire time. In Virginia and Maryland, you can stand and dance. Wedding venues in those places are now even using this ban as a marketing tool to get people to move their weddings outside the District. Fox 5 asked Mayor Bowser why this rule is in place when it doesn’t fall in line with neighboring states.

"So you’re asking for example why we still have some distancing rules inside, why we require seated receptions or seated dinners and that is because that is what the public experts suggests is safest for us right now while we continue to focus on containing the spread and getting people vaccinated. We have to talk about both things together. Every day, every day that we have, we’re getting more and more people vaccinated that is getting us close to not need those types of restrictions."

As far as requiring kids to wear masks outdoors at summer camp, DC will be coming out with new summer camp guidance soon. When we get the latest details, we will let you know right away.

Washington, D.C.