Vallejo council to mull indoor mask mandate
If approved, it would follow a similar initiative implemented in Benicia
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
City officials in Vallejo will discuss implementing a mandatory indoor mask policy at a city council meeting next week.
The topic will be up for deliberation at a special city council meeting called for next Tuesday, August 31 at 8 p.m.
Few details were available as to what Vallejo’s indoor mask policy might look like, but if it is approved, it would follow a similar measure taken in Benicia earlier this week.
The mask mandate implemented in Benicia applies to anyone over the age of four years old while they are visiting an indoor establishment anywhere in the city.
Officials in Benicia cited a rise in infections of the so-called “Delta variant” of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 as a primary reason for passing the indoor mask policy there.
A resolution reviewed by Solano NewsNet also said the measure was considered after county health officials failed to implement their own indoor mask policy, despite several neighboring counties doing so.
Without providing specific proof, Solano County’s top health officer, Dr. Bela Matyas, has asserted a recent spike in novel coronavirus infections was due to an increase in private gatherings among.
But health officials in other areas, including Yolo County, disagree with his assessment, noting that an indoor mask policy does not harm local businesses because it does not come with added capacity or operational restrictions.
As of Wednesday, Solano County was reporting more than 140 individuals hospitalized with a COVID-19 infection. The percentage of available intensive care unit space at Solano County hospitals was down to 30 percent, though not all the hospital ICU beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Despite differing opinions on indoor mask mandates, county health officials from across the region are united in their push for more residents to get vaccinated.
Reports indicate Solano County has one of the lowest vaccination rates compared to neighboring areas, though vaccine rates are improving by the week.
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