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D.C. Council considers tossing school COVID vax mandate

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D.C. Council considers tossing school COVID vax mandate


Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The D.C. Council is contemplating suspending town’s pupil COVID vaccine mandate as vaccination charges lag.

Why it issues: It has been difficult for faculties to implement the requirement that each one college students, together with public, personal, and parochial, get their first COVID shot. As of Sept. 27, round 46% of D.C. public faculty college students had been nonetheless out of compliance.

What they’re saying: “I used to be shocked that we’re one among three jurisdictions within the nation that has a vaccine mandate for teenagers for COVID,” D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson informed reporters Monday.

  • “There’s now dialogue … that perhaps the virus is evolving into one thing extra just like the flu, which is critical, however we do not have a vaccine mandate for the flu,” he added.

Context: Curiosity in photographs, particularly the bivalent booster shot which targets Omicron variants, is lagging significantly.

Zoom in: In D.C., solely 6.5% of residents have gotten the brand new booster — in comparison with round 29.5% of Washingtonians who acquired the earlier booster.

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  • In Maryland, uptake for the brand new booster as of Oct. 28 is round 11.5% — in comparison with round 44% for the earlier booster.
  • In Virginia, 51% of residents have gotten a booster shot, however state-level information doesn’t distinguish between the brand new bivalent booster and the earlier booster.

Zoom out: Nationwide and native well being officers say they’ve exhausted messaging techniques and accessible assets to succeed in reluctant or disinterested individuals about vaccines, per the Washington Put up.

  • However Neil Sehgal, College of Maryland affiliate professor of well being coverage and administration, says federal officers have performed a task in a few of this fatigue and disinterest.

“It is arduous to persuade individuals to get boosters when the parallel narrative from the administration is that the pandemic is over,” he says.

The massive image: Past COVID, each flu season and RSV, a respiratory sickness that may be crucial in youngsters, has hit the nation arduous this yr, worrying public well being consultants. Native hospitals, together with Youngsters’s Nationwide, are close to capability.

Be good: Pharmacies, COVID facilities, and different group vaccination websites presently carry each flu and booster photographs. Discover out right here the place to get vaccinated.

Share your ideas: Are you a neighborhood father or mother, trainer, or pupil with ideas on the COVID vaccine mandate? Reply on to this electronic mail to inform us how you are feeling.



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Washington, D.C

Crime concerns lead to Taffer's Tavern closure

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Crime concerns lead to Taffer's Tavern closure


“After more than two years of serving the Washington, D.C. community, the safety of our guests and employees remains our top priority,” Taffer’s Tavern said in a statement. The popular D.C. bar is closing.

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Washington, D.C

Road closures in Southwest DC for Washington Spirit fan appreciation rally – WTOP News

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Road closures in Southwest DC for Washington Spirit fan appreciation rally – WTOP News


The Washington Spirit is holding a fan appreciation rally Monday evening to celebrate the team’s NWSL Championship appearance, and there will be road closures.

The Washington Spirit is holding a fan appreciation rally Monday evening to celebrate the team’s National Women’s Soccer League Championship appearance.

It’s happening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. outside Audi Field. Tickets are free but required to attend and can be reserved online.

The night will feature appearances from some of the team’s star players, guest speeches and music. But the event also promises to bring something drivers won’t be so eager to celebrate — road closures.

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Here’s what you need to know.



The following streets will be posted as Emergency No Parking until 11 p.m., according to D.C. police:

  • Potomac Avenue from South Capitol Street to First Street, SW
  • R Street from First Street to 2nd Street, SW
  • R Street from South Capitol Street to Half Street, SW
  • S Street from First Street, SW to Half Street, SW
  • T Street from First Street to 2nd Street, SW
  • Half Street from Potomac Avenue to V Street, SW
  • V Street from 2nd Street to Half Street, SW
  • First Street from T Street to V Street, SW
  • 2nd Street from R Street to Street, SW

The following street, D.C. police said, will be closed to vehicular traffic from approximately 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.:

  • S Street from First Street to Half Street, SW

The following streets may also be closed to vehicular traffic during the event, according to D.C. police:

  • Potomac Avenue from South Capitol Street to First Street, SW
  • R Street from First Street to 2nd Street, SW
  • R Street from South Capitol Street to Half Street, SW
  • T Street from First Street to 2nd Street, SW
  • Half Street from Potomac Avenue to V Street, SW
  • V Street from 2nd Street to Half Street, SW
  • First Street from T Street to V Street, SW
  • 2nd Street from R Street to Street, SW

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© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



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Jack Schlossberg look-alike contest held in Northwest DC – WTOP News

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Jack Schlossberg look-alike contest held in Northwest DC – WTOP News


Following a trend of celebrity look-alike contests across the U.S. — and in the most D.C. fashion — one honoring a political legacy baby happened in Northwest on Sunday.

Hundreds of college-aged D.C.-area residents came out for a Jack Schlossberg look-alike contest being held at Meridian Hill Park in Columbia Heights.(WTOP/Ciara Wells)

Following a trend of celebrity look-alike contests around the nation — and in the most D.C. fashion — one honoring a political legacy baby happened at a Northwest park on Sunday.

Hundreds of college-aged D.C.-area residents came out for a Jack Schlossberg look-alike contest being held at Meridian Hill Park in Columbia Heights.

The appeal is obvious: people crave community.

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A scion of the famous Kennedy family, Schlossberg has been called the “people’s princess” for his pretty-boy good looks, an appeal to young Americans and the playful new energy he brings to politics.

His occasional public appearances, often in support of political causes, have led to comparisons to his grandfather, former President John F. Kennedy — both in terms of appearance and charisma.

In front of the James Buchanan Memorial statue, some 10 contestants stood in front of the massive crowd. Done up in plain button-up shirts and black ties — or one contestant who decided to strip in the 50-degree weather — the diverse group of contestants did their best to emulate the Kennedy grandson.

One by one, the crowd yelled in approval of which contestant they thought looked most like Schlossberg.

“I think he’s the perfect look-alike subject for D.C. He’s from a political family and he’s a political leader himself. … D.C. loves a handsome man in politics and we’re glad we picked him over any old senator. That would have been way less fun,” said event organizer Georgia Parolski.

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Though Schlossberg hinted he would be attending the event, Instagram stories made outside a Tesla location in New York proved otherwise.

“I am a little disappointed. But he has a certain mystique to maintain,” Parolski said.

Co-organizer Ruchika Sharma said they could have never expected the turnout: “We were originally supposed to be in Dupont Circle, and the RSVP response was just incredible. We had to move it.”

They said over 1,200 people RSVP’d to attend the event.

After about half an hour of bracketing out the crowd-favorites and asking Schlossberg trivia questions, a winner was crowned — taking home a $50 cash prize, a $100 Zipcar gift card and a $100 gift card to the restaurant Salazar.

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“I’m way too online and I’m way too into politics,” said winner Daniel Bonomo, a 25-year-old graduate student at Georgetown University.

Bonomo elicited jeers from the audience after announcing he was, unfortunately, not single. But standing in a tiara in front of the hundreds of oglers, he said he would always “commit to the bit.”

Organizers Sharma and Parolski said they don’t intend to host another event, citing the quick cycle of online trends.

“When (Sharma) texted me about a look alike contest, I said, ‘We need to do it as soon as possible, because it’s going to leave the cultural zeitgeist in a week anyways,’” Parolski said. “And I think we sent it out with a bang.”

WTOP’s Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.

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