As Venues Reopen, Washington Mayor Bans Dancing at Weddings
The Claim
The Mayor of Washington DC banned dancing at weddings.
News posted on
Emerging story
On April 26, the Washington DC Mayor’s office presented new measures which modified prior Covid-19 restrictions. These new measures mostly loosened capacity restrictions on spaces such as retail stores, playgrounds, schools, and event venues. One section said that multi-purpose venues may again host events such as weddings, but that “standing and dancing receptions are not allowed.”
This detail caught the attention of several news platforms, and The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon even worked it into his monologue. Social media users responded with references to the 1984 film Footloose, in which a small town makes dancing illegal. One Twitter user referred to the new guidelines as “tyranny,” and another called government officials “virus dictators.”
Misbar’s Analysis
It's true that a restriction on dancing at weddings is part of Washington DC’s new safety guidelines, but news outlets have been selective in amplifying this specific detail from the 12 page document. Because Covid-19 is still a serious threat, the mayor's office introduced the new measures to maintain safety as other restrictions were lifted. A spokesperson told local station Fox 5 that the reason behind the ban was that people’s behaviors change when dancing, and they tend to get closer or even touch. Illinois and Michigan have similar bans, and their guidelines were developed based on recommendations by public health experts.
On CNN this morning, Mayor Muriel Bowser suggested that the media instead recognize that these measures overall loosen prior restrictions. “An alternate headline may be, ‘Now you can host a wedding in Washington DC,’” she said. She compared it to restaurant restrictions that are already in place across the country. Many require masks to be worn while moving around a restaurant, but are not necessary when seated to eat a meal.
Another spokesperson from the mayor’s office pointed out to the Washington Post that dancing at indoor events was technically already prohibited, due to existing physical distance guidelines. They added that officials are steadily and carefully lessening restrictions as vaccination rates rise and infection rates drop. “Every day that we have, we’re getting more and more people vaccinated, which is getting us closer to not needing these restrictions," the mayor said in a news conference.
