Effective immediately, you will no longer be required to show a proof of vaccination at Capital One Arena if you want to attend a Washington Capitals game. On March 1, the mask mandate will be lifted. This news comes in the aftermath of Mayor Muriel Bowsers latest announcement on Monday afternoon.
Here’s the official release from Monumental Sports and Entertainment:
"Effective Tuesday, February 15, patrons attending Capitals and Wizards games at Capital One Arena will no longer be required to verify their vaccination status.Effective Tuesday, March 1, patrons attending Capitals and Wizards at Capital One Arena will no longer required to wear masks while attending events.Guests will be notified about specific protocols required to attend games/events in-person at the time of purchasing tickets, or will receive updated information from the event promoter if requirements evolve."
One month ago, vaccine mandates were put into place to help slow the spread of COVID-19. While we aren’t quite out of the woods, maybe this announcement means we’re one step closer towards a return to normalcy.
We’ve already experienced a sense of normalcy thus far this season. For the most part, NHL arenas have opened their doors to full capacity for fans. Each city has their own rules when it comes to vaccine requirements. We’re also in the middle of an 82 game schedule and once we reach the finish line, we can indeed say we experienced a somewhat normal season.
The thing I’m looking forward to the most is masks being lifted. March and April are important times for the Caps as they make a push toward the playoffs. They need all the energy from the fans that they can get and not having a mask in front of our face will make it easier (and louder) when we all chant “Let’s Go Caps!”.
The Caps next home game is on March 28 vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs. It will also be the last time all fans will be required to wear a mask.