D.C. Mayor Bowser dodges question on whether lockdowns will come back: ‘We’ll make changes as necessary’
D.C. recorded 844 positive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 16, a record high for the city
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser skated around a question Tuesday about whether the U.S. capital would face another round of COVID-19 lockdowns as the country faces a winter surge from the omicron variant.
"With the re-imposition of the indoor mask mandate, at this point, do you foresee any possibility of having to go the extra step of shutting everything down in the way that you and the other mayors and governors did at the beginning of this pandemic?" guest host Jonathan Capehart asked on MSNBC’s "The ReidOut."
"One thing I learned about this virus, Jonathan, is that we have to evolve, and we have to change our strategies to deal with the virus. I think the difference between March 2020 and now is that we have a safe and effective vaccine," Bowser responded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is screened during a dedication ceremony for Project Journey, a new 14-gate concourse to replace Gate 35x and two new security checkpoints, at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
VP HARRIS ADMITS 'WE DIDN’T SEE OMICRON COMING' AS DC RECORDS MOST COVID-19 CASES EVER IN NEW SURGE
Bowser went on to urge Americans to get vaccinated, test themselves and isolate if they’re feeling sick. She said local government is focused on being able to maintain "critical government services" in order to allow people to go to work and school.
"So, we’re monitoring every day. We’ll make changes as necessary to keep Washingtonians safe," she added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bowser told reporters Friday that she was not entirely against returning to a mask mandate in the city. Three days later, on December 21 at 6:00 AM, the mandate was imposed.
The Washington, D.C., Department of Health last Thursday recorded the highest number of daily positive COVID-19 cases in the city's history since the pandemic began.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}D.C. recorded 844 positive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 16 — a record high for the city after its last record of 508 daily cases on Dec. 15. Prior to this month, the U.S. capital's previous record was 357 daily positive cases on Jan. 7, 2021.
A day later Bowser told residents on Twitter to "remain vigilant and work together to slow the spread," urging people to get vaccinated, boosted, reconsider social gatherings and wear a mask indoors.
Fox News' Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.