New Britain Council Republicans Vote Down Mask Mandate

City Council Republicans voted down a proposal by Council Democrats to require masks in city buildings to protect against COVID-19 infection.

The six Democratic members of the Council proposed the resolution that said, “in response to the civil preparedness and public health emergency now facing the City of New Britain, effective on Friday, September 10, 2021, at 12:01 AM, the wearing of masks or cloth face coverings that are compliant with CDC guidelines is required, regardless of vaccination status, for all indoor City of New Britain municipal buildings.”

The resolution was proposed at the September 8, 2021 Council meeting.

The resolution said the local mandate would have been based on an Executive Order by Gov. Ned Lamont, “which grants municipal governments the ability to require the use of masks in indoor public places within their control, regardless of vaccination status.”

The resolution noted that, “only 52.28% of New Britain residents have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccination as of August 25, 2021, leaving almost half of our residents vulnerable to COVID-19 and the Delta variant.”

The resolution went on to say that, “based on latest data, the CDC’s tracking system has classified Hartford County as experiencing a ‘substantial’ rate of transmission due to an increase in the number of infections over time.”

But Republican Council members proposed and approved an amendment to the resolution that removed the proposed mask mandate in city buildings and substituted an “advisory” that recommended the wearing of masks, instead. That amendment was approved on a party-line vote.

The resolution as proposed would have also, “strongly encourage private businesses and organizations to also mandate mask wearing when indoors,” and encouraged, “all residents to get vaccinated to protect the public health and prosperity of all of New Britain.”