How conflicted are people about still using masks in Charlotte? Here’s what you told us
Most vaccinated people responding to a Charlotte Observer survey this week say they still wear face coverings in public, even after Gov. Roy Cooper lifted mask mandates for people who have gotten the shots.
Only a handful of people who took the survey said they were not vaccinated, but most of them said they are not wearing masks. One called masks “useless” while another questioned why he needed to get vaccinated after he’d already contracted COVID-19.
The governor said people who haven’t gotten the coronavirus vaccines should still wear a mask in public — but there are no checks to make sure people are following that guidance. Masks are still required in certain settings, including schools, childcare centers, nursing homes, homeless shelters and public transit.
More than 300 people responded to the Observer mask survey as of Friday morning. Of that group, 281 were fully vaccinated.
Just 17 were not vaccinated. Some unvaccinated Charlotte-area residents say they only wear a mask when requested to by businesses.
There are still a patchwork of mask requirements in local establishments and many people, vaccinated and unvaccinated alike, are exhausted by changing guidelines, survey respondents indicated. Those responses include:
▪ “Depends on the atmosphere. If it seems like others around me feel more comfortable with masks on then I wear one but if that’s not the case, then no.”
▪ “I don’t want to appear as if I am an ‘anti-masker.’ I get uncomfortable when others don’t wear masks and I don’t want to be that source of discomfort for others.”
▪ “I wear (a mask) where I think there are unvaccinated people not wearing masks. This means that I wear a mask in retail stores, restaurants and grocery stores. The unvaccinated cannot be trusted to do what is right.”
It’s kind of a courtesy’
Back in January, UNC Charlotte English professor Mark West received his first Moderna shot during an Atrium Health mass vaccination event at Bank of America Stadium.
For months, campus buildings were strewn with reminders to wear a face covering — but not anymore, West said.
This fall, when he returns to teaching in a large auditorium, West envisions wearing a mask until he reaches the podium, “up on a stage, a good 15 feet away from the students.”
“If I knew that all of the students in my lecture hall were actually vaccinated — I have a lot of confidence in the vaccinations — I would have no trepidation and walk through the hall and not worry about (masking),” West said.
West, 65, said he feels safe to go maskless outdoors but he’s still mindful about social distancing. And at his neighborhood Harris Teeter in Dilworth, he still dons a high-quality mask.
“I feel like it’s kind of a courtesy to the employees and other customers,” West said. “I’m wearing a mask as a way to know you don’t need to worry about me. I wish other people would do the same.”
Lack of trust
Many vaccinated people told the Observer they wear a mask because they don’t trust unvaccinated people to mask up, despite public health guidance.
Here’s what some said in the survey:
▪ “I just wish I had faith in humanity, but I lost that when I saw the issue of public health and taking common sense steps to protect each other become a political football over the past year.”
▪ “Don’t trust other people with their germs”
▪ “Better safe than sorry. Don’t trust that those not wearing masks are vaccinated. Those that aren’t are likely not vaccinated.”
More reasons why they use a mask
Others who have been fully vaccinated said they only sometimes wear a mask, like in big crowds or inside business that require masks.
Several people said they are vaccinated but their spouse or kids are not able to get the vaccine, so they still wear a mask to protect their family. Others wear mask out of respect for fellow residents who may be immuno-compromised or have a greater risk of developing serious virus complications.
Here’s what some said:
▪ “As a parent I did not support lifting the mask mandate as there are too many unvaccinated people including those who cannot be vaccinated.”
▪ “My child is not able to be vaccinated, so I will continue to wear one. I also don’t know that I think the honor system is a great way to control a pandemic!”
And still others said they no longer want to wear a mask, but feel judged in public so they bring one to avoid stares. “Don’t want to but they are still being worn and I don’t like the stares,” one fully vaccinated person said in the survey.
Uneasy to drop the mask
East Charlotte resident Kathy McKenzie, 55, is fully vaccinated and wants to take her mask off. But her age — and the corresponding health risk plus the threat of coronavirus variants — makes her uneasy to ditch her hand-sewn creations.
She started wearing a mask in March 2020, even before it became the norm. Last weekend, she took her first trip of the entire coronavirus pandemic — driving to see a fully vaccinated friend.
“I think a lot of people who have worn a mask religiously, it’s going to be hard to give it up,” McKenzie told the Observer in an interview. “I think it’s going to be a slow process.”
Vaccinations in Mecklenburg
Cooper had previously announced he would leave mask mandates in place until at least two-thirds of North Carolinians had gotten at least one shot. But he lifted the mask requirements May 14 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks.
Businesses and local governments are allowed to implement stricter rules, Cooper said.
The state has still not reached the two-thirds threshold, with only 41.8% of North Carolinians at least partially vaccinated as of Thursday, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services data show.
Most people in Mecklenburg County are still not vaccinated. Nearly 44% of county residents have gotten at least one vaccine and 38% of county residents are fully vaccinated as of Thursday, state numbers show.
That’s one big reason people say they are keeping the mask on, according to the Observer survey.
One Belmont woman said she’s still wearing her mask “because too many people are not vaccinated.” And a woman in the Ayersly community of Charlotte said: “until herd immunity… better safe than sorry.”
This week, Mecklenburg Deputy Public Health Director Raynard Washington urged all residents ages 12 and older to get immunized “as quickly as possible.”
“That is probably the most effective tool that we have at reducing your risk as a person and our risk as a community,” Washington said. “The vaccines are safe, and they are effective.”
The county’s coronavirus metrics have shown marked improvement as vaccinations rise. The average positivity rate, which measures the percentage of COVID-19 tests that return a positive result, dropped to 3.8% in the past week. That’s the lowest number logged during the pandemic.
‘A very simple thing to do’
Charlotte resident Bella Jacobs, 19, said she got her last Pfizer COVID-19 shot in early March, but she’s still wearing her mask in public.
“The pandemic’s definitely not over,” Jacobs said. “And it’s a very simple thing to do to do, having a piece of cloth over your face.”
Jacobs, a barista at Central Coffee Co. in South End, said her job still requires employees and customers to wear masks.
“Generally, most people are coming in and wearing masks and it’s not a big deal,” she said. “There’s more and more people every day that come in without a mask.”
Jacobs offers those people a mask. Most customers are fine with that, but she said some have pushed back.
And it’s hard to tell if people going without a mask in public are actually vaccinated, she said.
“Honestly, I don’t fully trust the honor system and everyone around me,” Jacobs said. “I think that if people who are vaccinated continue to wear a mask, it will encourage other people to.”
Local business decisions
The new guideline leaves Charlotte businesses to once again make decisions about how and if they will enforce wearing face coverings. Retailers, like Lowe’s, Publix and Walmart among others are following the CDC guidelines.
Harris Teeter, for instance, has a policy that started Thursday requesting that non-vaccinated shoppers continue to wear a mask while in the store.
Several people in the survey said they are comfortable with the state’s new guidelines but will wear a mask when required by a business.
But many others remain wary, saying they don’t trust the honor system. “I don’t think enough community members have been vaccinated for me to assume that other unmasked folks are fully vaccinated,” one person said.
The honor system for masks
North Carolina’s statewide mask mandate didn’t go into effect until last June, a month after retail stores and restaurants reopened after pandemic shutdowns.
Even then, retailers had to decide how to enforce the mandate as wearing masks became a polarizing and politicized issue.
Paul Manley, co-owner of High Tide Hospitality group, which includes Ace. No. 3, Sea Level NC and The Waterman Fish Bar, said his customers are on the honor system following the new mask guideline to unmask if vaccinated and mask if not.
Restaurant staff are offered a $50 bonus to get vaccinated, and the majority have, he said.
But what Manley’s seen across all three restaurants in uptown, South End and Belmont is most customers continue to come in wearing masks. For that reason, so will his staff.
“That told us people are more comfortable if our staff wear masks,” Manley said.
‘Not Vaxxed? Please mask’
Last Friday, Many Charlotte businesses quickly posted that masks were no longer required.
Resident Culture Brewing Company posted a picture on social media of its front entry sign that read: “Fully Vaxxed? No need to mask! Not Vaxxed? Please mask.”
“We do encourage you to continue trying to distance yourselves when possible, and those who feel more comfortable wearing a mask are welcome to do so,” Cabarrus Brewing Company said on social media.
“Time to peel off those sweaty face hammocks and come have a beer with us,” Brewers at 4001 Yancey posted online.
Over at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille, owner Matt Wolharth told the Observer he’s advising staff to get vaccinated and wearing masks is now a “personal responsibility” for both workers and customers. And, business is booming.
“We’re not requiring any masks. It is over,” he said. “We have been slammed; the only issue now is labor (shortage).”
This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 11:57 AM.
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