Fully vaccinated fans at Nationals Park will no longer be required to wear masks starting Friday, the Washington Nationals announced Wednesday, following D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s relaxed mask mandate issued earlier this week.
The Nationals also announced that their stadium received approval from the city to return to full capacity June 10, one day earlier than the city had initially announced. Washington begins an 11-game homestand June 10, starting with a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants.
Fans who are not fully vaccinated must continue wearing masks at all times unless actively eating or drinking in their seats. Fully vaccinated fans won’t be required to wear masks at all, be it indoors or outdoors, at the park.
Bowser’s announcement Monday loosened the mask mandate in Washington, allowing fully vaccinated people — those who are two weeks past their final coronavirus vaccination dose — don’t need to wear masks in some environments. Residents still need to wear masks on public transit and in schools, hospitals and businesses that choose to require masks.
D.C. followed Maryland and Virginia in lifting mask mandates last week, following instructions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that said vaccinated people can be without masks and don’t need to socially distance in many instances, even when indoors.
Nationals Park is currently operating at 36% capacity for the upcoming homestand, which begins Friday against the Baltimore Orioles and continues through May 30.
The Nationals also announced that the team is partnering with the D.C. Department of Health to serve as a vaccination site during the next series. Before Friday’s and Sunday’s games, the Department of Health will offer free Johnson & Johnson vaccines to D.C., Maryland and Virginia residents. Tickets to those games aren’t required to receive a shot.
