Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and several of his colleagues said in a letter to Bowser on Wednesday that lifting the mask mandate would place the District ahead of the of science, including the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

“Even though we are just slightly below the level of substantial community spread, we’re seeing that numbers are going up across the country, numbers are going up here in D.C. And prudence suggests we continue the mandate and avoid lifting it now and then maybe having to reinstate it in a few weeks,” Mendelson told WTOP, adding that the mayor’s action has been premature.

Council members pointed out that children over 5 years old only recently became eligible to be vaccinated, and that they will not be eligible for their second dose until three weeks after the first. They won’t be considered fully vaccinated until another two weeks after that.

In addition, children under 5, “one of the hardest to protect,” according to the letter, are still not able to get a vaccine.