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Huntington Beach City Council votes to ban mask and COVID vaccine mandates
The Huntington Beach City Council has voted to ban universal mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the city, with an exception for those who have tested positive for COVID-19. The declaration was approved with a 4-3 vote and makes Huntington Beach a "no mask and no vaccine" city.
The motion was introduced by Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, who argued that previous mask mandates in 2020 and 2021 unnecessarily limited the freedoms of the citizens, even those who were not exposed to COVID-19.
While COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Orange County, hospitalizations have not increased significantly. As of Thursday, there were 60 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in the county, with 1,053 positive cases and three deaths reported last week.