Time to take masks off? Many already have in Mecklenburg with no enforcement
Mecklenburg County commissioners could vote to end their public mask mandate on Wednesday, lifting the rule after almost six months. Still, that might not be a big change for many county residents.
The public health rule, which requires people to wear masks in indoor public spaces across the county, went into effect in Mecklenburg in late August. But official enforcement of the mask mandate has been low to non-existent.
Mecklenburg County Public Health has taken no enforcement actions related to the indoor mask mandate since August, county spokeswoman Rebecca Carter told the Observer Tuesday. And Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police has not received any reports or issued any violations related to the mask mandate since August, CMPD spokesman Officer Justin Davies told the Observer in an email.
According to the public health rule, businesses can call 911 to seek police assistance if customers refuse to comply with the mask mandate and refuse to leave, according to the city.
And anyone violating the countywide public health rule could be convicted of a misdemeanor, according to the order. The rule also gives Mecklenburg County Public Health the power to issue an order of abatement, including shutting down a facility, at any time following a violation of the rule.
No public health abatements have been issued related to the current indoor mask mandate.
Mecklenburg COVID trends
Mecklenburg County had previously changed the threshold for lifting the mask mandate in November, voting to allow masking in public places to end if the daily COVID-19 positivity rate remained below 5% for seven consecutive days.
At the time, that criteria seemed within reach. The seven-day average positivity rate for the week prior to the county change was about 6.3%. But the county’s average positivity rate began climbing within days of the vote.
And fueled by the rapid spread of the COVID variant omicron, daily positivity rates hit record highs in Mecklenburg in January, recording a daily positivity rate above 40% several times that month for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020.
Now, local officials say Mecklenburg has likely passed its peak in omicron spread, noting falling trends of positivity rate and infections.
And public health director Dr. Raynard Washington pointed to the falling positivity rate in a presentation to county commissioners last week, saying he would recommend to end the local mask mandate if COVID trends continue to decline. Commissioners are next meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Still, Mecklenburg’s daily positivity rate is far beyond the original goal of 5%. On Feb. 13, the most recent date available, Mecklenburg recorded a positivity rate of 15.7%.
Masks in Meck
Earlier this month, county commissioners said they would not remove the mask mandate without the recommendation of public health officials like Washington.
Atrium Health infectious disease expert Dr. Katie Passaretti said the current decrease in COVID infections is “promising,” but she still encourage people at highest risk for COVID complications to remain cautious.
“It’s going to be very important to make sure that we’re continuing to protect the most vulnerable,” she told reporters Tuesday.
Passaretti said she defers to the health department on the mask mandate, but said it makes sense to lessen some restrictions as COVID trends improve.
And many people are already disregarding the mask mandate in Mecklenburg, she said.
“I think we’ve all been out and about and mask-wearing is variable and has been for some time,” Passaretti said. “So it really is a good time to focus on individual risk.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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