DAYTON, Ohio — The City of Dayton suspended its mask requirement for city buildings and dropped its vaccine or testing requirements for city employees, officials said.
What You Need To Know
- Dayton is among several Ohio cities relaxing COVID-19 mask policies
- Officials suspended Dayton’s vaccine or testing policy for city employees
- The case rate in Montgomery County is just below the statewide average
Under the previous policy, vaccinated city employees were subject to a requirement for weekly testing, which began in November. All employees and visitors were also required to wear masks indoors in city facilities, according to Toni Bankston, a city spokesperson.
“Due to the decline of COVID-19 cases and the new guidelines released by the CDC regarding masking, the city has suspended its indoor mask and testing mandate,” Bankston said.
This week, officials in several of Ohio’s major cities announced decisions to relax mask restrictions.
In Columbus, the health department recommended ending the city’s mask mandate on March 7. In Hamilton and Cuyahoga counties, officials lifted requirements for masks in county buildings.
Dayton’s vaccine or testing policy drew objections from local union leaders, including the Fraternal Order of Police. The city defended the policy, which it said was a necessary safety precaution, arguing that it didn’t infringe on employees’ personal choice because they had the option to take tests.
Officials said the policy can be suspended now because cases among city employees have dropped significantly.
“As we continue to monitor CDC guidance and COVID-19 cases in the County, our policies will continue to evolve,” Bankston said.
Montgomery County is reporting a case rate of 100.4 per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks, slightly below Ohio’s overall rate of 104.7, according to state data released Thursday. At the height of the surge in January, case levels in Ohio were more than 20 times higher.
