Dayton issues mask mandate for city employees, buildings; mandatory vaccinations being considered

DAYTON — Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein announced masks will now be mandatory for all city employees and for the public when entering city buildings effective immediately.

The announcement came Monday afternoon during a news conference at city hall.

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Dickstein said the city has been increasingly impacted by COVID over the last two weeks, with at least a dozen positive tests reported among staff, leading to the quarantining of unvaccinated workers.

She said one worker has ended up in the ICU, and another staff member died last week from what were determined to be COVID complications.

““We want emphasize the importance of vaccination and mask-wearing before it’s too late,” the City Manager said.

In addition to the mask mandate, Dickstein said the city is also “considering and evaluating” a mandatory vaccination and testing policy for city employees and plans to provide update later this week.

The move to require masking is a reversal in part to an ordinance the city repealed in May that allowed for those who are vaccinated to go maskless in public areas of the city.

The change also comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reversed mask recommendations in recent weeks, now calling on anyone, regardless of vaccination status to wear a mask while indoors.

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