Benicia doesn't wait for county, implements indoor face mask requirement
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
The City of Benicia will require individuals to wear protective face masks while visiting an indoor business or otherwise located in an indoor public space.
The move was unanimously approved by the Benicia City Council this week, with city officials citing updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, which encouraged indoor face mask usage among unvaccinated individuals as well as those who are partially or fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
Health officials in Solano County have been hesitant to implement a county-wide indoor face mask requirement, claiming that the majority of infections in Solano County occur at private gatherings — a claim that has been repeated a number of times by Solano County’s top health official, but one for which the county has yet to produce any concrete data beyond its own anecdotal evidence.
Officials in Benicia are not waiting any longer, especially as infections and hospitalizations from the more-contagious form of the virus known as the “Delta variant” continue to increase.
“Benicia Council Members felt the current surge of the COVID-19 Delta variant
warranted such action in Benicia to help reduce the increase in COVID-19 cases,” Erik Upson, the city manager for Benicia, said in a statement. “The health and safety of the public is our top priority, and we continue to encourage all our residents and staff to do their part and get vaccinated.”
The mask mandate took effect on Wednesday and applies to anyone over the age of four who is in an indoor public setting, except for individuals who are exempt from wearing a face mask based on state and federal health guidelines. Those who are eating or drinking in a restaurant, or who are swimming or showering at a gym, are also not required to wear a mask while engaged in those activities.
Benicia council members will decide in six weeks if the mask mandate should be rescinded, modified or extended.
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