Congressional Republicans aren't content to lie back as a new bout of COVID restrictions descends on the District of Columbia. (RELATED: It Begins? Suburban San Francisco Bans Large Gatherings)
In response to the omicron variant, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced that starting Saturday, proof of vaccination will be required to enter certain establishments.
POLITICO has more on the GOP's attempt to stop Bowser's latest moves:
A group of 20 House Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) offered a bill Wednesday that would nullify Mayor Muriel Bowser's order. Read it here. (The timestamp at the bottom suggests the bill was created shortly after Bowser's initial move in December.)
SEE ALSO: Is the Justice Department About to Indict Matt Gaetz?
GOP lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee urged Bowser to withdraw the order, warning it would “harm the District's economic recovery and lock many Americans out of their capital city.” That letter.
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) likened the rules to the Nazi regime in a series of tweets Wednesday, prompting a heated floor confrontation with Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.).
Conservatives suggested boycotting a private Republican gathering spot, the Capitol Hill Club, over the mandates, according to The Hill. “I'm not afraid to say publicly that we should stand up and say ‘no' to Mayor Bowser's vaccine passports,” Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) wrote on Twitter.
Bowser's latest order follows her decision to declare a public health emergency in December. The mask mandate will remain in effect through the end of the month.
At the same time, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) are operating at full capacity. Teachers complain that officials have struggled to supply them with sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE). Many are frustrated that officials haven't provided detailed plans if COVID outbreaks force schools back online.
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Bowser has said the city will make decisions on returning to virtual learning on a case-by-case basis.
She didn't say whether officials take the neuropsychological impact of virtual learning on students into account when closing schools.
A recent article in Forbes noted how the cognitive abilities of the children of the pandemic has declined:
A new preprint study presents the alarming finding that children born during the pandemic in the U.S. show reduced verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance compared to children born pre-pandemic. In the decade preceding the pandemic, the mean IQ score on standardized tests for children aged between three months and three years of age hovered around 100, but for children enrolled in this study born during the pandemic that number dropped to 78.
