2026-07-16 22:32:02 DC ban on indoor dining, other restrictions go into effect Wednesday night – NEW WTOP Skip to main content

DC ban on indoor dining, other restrictions go into effect Wednesday night

New closures go into effect Wednesday night amid the coronavirus surge in D.C.

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s newest coronavirus restrictions go into effect at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, two days before Christmas.

The newest order bans all indoor dining. Restaurants can continue outdoor dining and carryout and delivery services.

D.C. joins Maryland’s Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in banning dining inside restaurants.

All museums and libraries have to close under the new restrictions.

Reservations will be required to swim in a city pool or take part in individual fitness room sessions.

The DC Circulator National Mall routes will be canceled, and Bowser recommends that all nonessential businesses start teleworking if they haven’t already.

Currently, grocery stores, retail stores and houses of worship are held to a 25% indoor capacity with a maximum of 250 people.

Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio tells WTOP the order will remain in effect until 5 a.m. Jan. 15.

Did matcha start trending at the worst possible time for DC teahouses?

When you walk into the Teaism teahouse in Penn Quarter, the frantic energy of the downtown D.C. neighborhood melts away on a floral breeze. Hundreds of pounds of dried tea line the walls in decorative boxes, and for Lela Singh, daughter of co-founder Michelle Brown and manager of the Teaism Shop, it has become a kind of second home.
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