Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser announced Monday that the U.S. capitol will end its vaccine and most of its mask mandates for indoor businesses and gathering places.

Previously, residents of the nation's capitol had to show proof of vaccination before entering indoor businesses, but that mandate will end Tuesday. Businesses will no longer be required to prove that patrons are vaccinated.

Bowser also said that the city’s mask mandate for indoor public spaces would be lifted starting March 1. However, mask mandates would remain for congregate settings such as schools, public transit, and emergency shelters.

“We’re in a much better place to announce adjustments to that winter action plan,” Bowser said, citing the rise in the Omicron variant that caused cities and states across the country to reimpose mask mandates.

Bowser also cited a COVID-19 case reduction of 90% and a reduction in hospitalizations of 95% since the wave of Omicron cases hit, a trend downward trend that exists in varying degrees across the country.

The Democratic mayor also added that “businesses may choose to keep vaccination requirements . . . in place at their establishment with appropriate signage.”

The city has a 52.9% vaccination rate and a 38.4% booster rate. Bowser took the press conference to express the importance of booster shots, which people are not opting to take at the rate of the initial vaccination courses.

Cities and states across the country are dropping vaccine and mask mandates indoors, citing a decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases as the 2022 midterms approach. However, President Joe Biden and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have both indicated that allowing these mandates to expire may be premature.

Even with the decrease in cases, deaths, and hospitalizations, there is still a high rate of transmission across the country. The CDC is still advising people to wear masks indoors.

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