Meanwhile, all city boards, committees and commissions will continue to meet online through the end of the year unless the body votes to meet in person, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
As the pandemic unfolded in 2020, the city switched to all online meetings. But in mid-July, the council's leadership announced a schedule of council meetings that had an initial in-person meeting set for Sept. 21 followed by a mix of in-person and online meetings — four of each style — through the end of the year.
Online meetings can be more accessible, for both members and for the public, who have grown accustomed to being able to participate and comment on the agenda items, council president Syed Abbas wrote to council members last month.
But some people have difficulty managing technology or do not have access to the internet or a computer and would benefit from in-person meetings, while council members would benefit from meeting and interacting with one another in person, he said.
On Tuesday, after a COVID surge fueled by the delta strain and an announcement by Public Health Madison and Dane County that masks would be required in indoor spaces beginning Thursday, Abbas announced a change in plans.
"As the cases are rising in Wisconsin, the council leadership decided to delay the plans to bring the council back for September in-person meeting," Abbas wrote to colleagues. "We will actively monitor the situation and re-evaluate our policy after the COVID cases get under control. Until then all the City Council meetings will be held virtual."
The effort to begin holding some council meetings in person never affected other city boards, committees and commissions, which were making their own decisions on whether to meet in person or online.
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