An awakened DC attorney forced a local entertainment district to remove a “no masks” sign intended to deter Halloween crime after claiming it could lead to a COVID outbreak.
Madeline Morcelle, of the National Health Law Program, tweeted outrage over a sign informing visitors that “no masks are allowed anywhere on District Wharf grounds to keep the waterfront safe and enjoyable for all.”
On Wednesday, Morcelle tweeted: “I am outraged. This signage from @TheWharfDC says NO MASKS – a critical and life-saving public health intervention – are allowed on Wharf property. Meanwhile, we are still dealing with a pandemic of COVID-19, an airborne virus.”
The lawyer appeared to believe the sign was referring to COVID masks, criticizing the waterfront for condemning the face coverings during the pandemic, despite cases continuing to fall.
Two days after Morcelle’s tweet, the district removed the sign and replaced it with another, making it clear that “face coverings in Halloween costumes” have been banned from The Wharf.
DC’s District Wharf removed a “no masks” sign (left) intended to deter Halloween crime after complaints from Madeline Morcelle. Located on the southwestern waterfront, The Wharf has since replaced the sign with a more direct sign that clearly references Halloween masks (right)
Morcelle (above) labeled it dangerous amid claims of an impending outbreak, as official reports show COVID cases continue to fall
Morcelle, who campaigns for reproductive rights and access to health care for immigrants, had criticized the district for the “ill-worded” sign, saying it was “reckless and deeply frustrating oversight.”
The lawyer complained that the sign would encourage people to lose their COVID masks, which are no longer needed but are recommended in crowded areas of the city, which she said would affect residents with disabilities.
It’s also true that no one on the team at the Wharf DC stopped to consider the obvious meaning of the ‘no masks’ language two and a half years into a pandemic, amid growing eugenic and skilled rhetoric and anti-masking sentiment and policies,” she wrote. in a Twitter rant.
“It’s still hard for me to understand how this was possible. At best, it was reckless and deeply frustrating surveillance that undermined public health and the rights of the disabled.”
City and district officials did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
In a rant on Twitter, Morcelle claimed the ‘no mask’ language was part of a larger ‘ableist rhetoric’
Located on the southwest waterfront, the entertainment district is home to a plethora of hotels, shops, restaurants and a 6,000-seat music venue
The Wakker neighborhood has marketed itself as a place that values people of all races, creeds, and ages
The CDC reports that the number of COVID cases has continued to fall since reaching an all-time high in late 2021 and early 2022
Located on the southwest waterfront, the entertainment district is home to a plethora of hotels, shops, restaurants, and a 6,000-seat music venue.
On its website, the district says it celebrates black lives, women, immigrants, people with disabilities, the LGBT community, people of all faiths, youth and seniors.
Morcelle also claimed the US was heading for another COVID wave, similar to last year’s holiday wave.
However, the number of cases has decreased after reaching a peak in late last year and early 2022 due to the Omicron variant.
The CDC reports that monthly cases fell from September to October, with 265,893 cases reported this week with about 2,649 new deaths.