Washington, D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau has had a rollercoaster of emotions this past week. At first she was “flabbergasted and angry” that Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) would dare end the city’s draconian COVID-19 vaccine mandate, then the mother of two moved towards “thankful” optimism that her newly introduced bill to extend the requirement in certain businesses would pass on Friday, thereby reinstating the mandate for 90 days. By Thursday evening, however, Nadeau was “incredibly disappointed” to announce that she could not garner enough support and would be forced to withdraw her prized bill.
“I’m incredibly disappointed to share that I’ve withdrawn my emergency measure to reinstate the vaccine requirement in certain businesses,” Nadeau tweeted, along with screenshots of a statement explaining why:
I’m incredibly disappointed to share that I’ve withdrawn my emergency measure to reinstate the vaccine requirement in certain businesses. pic.twitter.com/yhsrYXVEMi
— Brianne K. Nadeau (@BrianneKNadeau) February 18, 2022
“Unfortunately, although I do believe we might have garnered the support of a majority of the Council on this legislation, we did not have a path to the nine votes needed to pass an emergency measure,” Nadeau said in her release. “I want to thank all those who advocated in support of the emergency measure.”
In the release mentioning the word “I” 17 times, Nadeau continued to explain why she feels so strongly and why everybody should listen to her:
I still believe that reinstating the proof of vaccination requirement for certain establishments and facilities is the best way to protect public health and safety. I believe that it is the best way to protect our immunocompromised neighbors, children under five, and even the ninety-three percent of District residents who have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. I strongly encourage businesses to keep this protection in place for their workers and patrons. I truly believe that patrons will choose to spend their money in the places they feel protected. If the Washington Post poll is any indication, then 74 percent of residents who support the requirement will have your back.
Nadeau also claimed that residents who had died while saying good-bye to their loved ones over video would want the mandate to remain in place:
The restaurant workers who have to face unvaccinated out-of-state customers want it. The parents who have to make tough decisions every day about what risks to take with their young children want it. Residents in their twenties still suffering from long COVID want others to avoid their pain, and the residents who passed away saying goodbye to their loved ones on FaceTime would want it if their voices could be heard.
Nadeau also lamented that Bowser gets caught up in political fights, rather than enforcing “commonsense” measures such as continuing the vaccine requirement.
Nonetheless, she persisted.
“I am disappointed, but I am not deterred. I will continue to engage in the hard work of making the District safer, healthier, and fairer,” she declared. “I want to thank the Councilmembers who stood with me, and with our most vulnerable neighbors.”
“I implore the Mayor to do the right thing. I implore her to stand up for workers, for young people, for sick people, and for all those whose voices have been drowned out in this conversation by those of lobbyists,” Nadeau pleaded.
It should be noted Nadeau’s primary concerns are for young people, but based on the most recent data available data from the DC government, there have between 0-1 D.C. citizens under the age of 19 to die from COVID-19, five between the ages of 20-29, and 31 individuals between the ages of 30-19, so it is unclear what facts she is basing her emotions off of for moral panic.
At press time, Nadeau was thankful that many D.C. restaurants are opting to keep the vaccine mandate so that she can plan her husband’s birthday bash Saturday evening:
Thanks @LauraHayesDC – I’m a little behind on planning my husband’s birthday dinner tomorrow. 😂 https://t.co/EnlMHBldEk
— Brianne K. Nadeau (@BrianneKNadeau) February 18, 2022
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