Benicia City Council Approves Indoor Mask Mandate: What To Know

BENICIA, CA — The Benicia City Council at its meeting Tuesday night voted unanimously in favor of a resolution that requires everyone 4 years and older to wear a face mask when in any indoor or enclosed space that is open to the public and is within the City of Benicia.

City Council made the decision in the wake of a late-July recommendation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — CDC — that fully vaccinated people wear coverings in public indoor settings. The California Department of Public Health also recommends that statewide, fully vaccinated people should wear face coverings in indoor public settings statewide.

The City Council resolution, which passed by a 5-0 vote, further notes that in early August, health officers in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma and the City of Berkeley announced a mask mandate requiring every resident to wear a face mask indoors in public settings, regardless of vaccination status.

The County of Solano has not issued an order mandating the wearing of face coverings, according to the city's resolution.

"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," said Benicia City Manager Erik Upson, who also stressed the importance of getting vaccinated. "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 resolution became effective Wednesday, Aug. 25.

Benicia City Council will review the resolution after six weeks.

WHAT TO KNOW

According to the four-page resolution, there are some exceptions: