Norwich City Hall. The City of Norwich Common Council unanimously voted in favor of abolishing a masking policy for city employees and departments that was implemented last year. (Photo by Sarah Genter)

NORWICH — During the common council meeting on Tuesday, February 15, the City of Norwich Common Council unanimously voted to lift the mask mandate for city employees and in city buildings, to align with the expiration of the statewide mask mandate on February 10.

Alderman Matthew Caldwell explained that last year "the common council adopted a city policy requiring masks to comply with CDC guidelines and the state mandate." The policy also required mask wearing inside city vehicles if two or more city employees were present, he said.

The departments affected by this mandate included Norwich City Court, the City of Norwich Police Department, the City of Norwich DPW Garage, Norwich City Hall, the City of Norwich Fire Department, the Norwich Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Norwich Wastewater Filtration Plant.

After Governor Kathy Hochul announced the statewide mask mandate would expire on February 10, the abolishment of the city's policy was not put on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting, something Caldwell chalked up to miscommunication. However, he felt the city should align with state protocols and made a motion to lift the mandate.

"I think it was just a minor miscommunication that had very little impact on results," he said. "We could have left the policy in place, but considering all things it didn’t make sense. It was time to abolish the policy."