Mecklenburg County businesses ready for ending a mask mandate with ‘no teeth in it’

Many Mecklenburg businesses say they’ll follow along with the county ending its public indoor mask mandate next week, after nearly two years of navigating changing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Masks mandates and other COVID safety protocols have been a politically contentious issue since the pandemic began in early 2020. And, enforcing the rules has mostly been left up to businesses.

Joe Kuhlmann, owner of The Evening Muse music venue in NoDa, said Thursday that since being able to reopen last May, several times customers gave them flack after being asked at the door to put a mask on.

“The problem with the mandate was there was no enforcement, no teeth in it,” Kuhlmann said. “We were an island unto ourselves.”

On Wednesday, Mecklenburg County commissioners said they were “bombarded with emails” for and against their mask requirement for indoor public places, before approving lifting the mandate, effective Feb. 26. The mandate went into effect after Aug. 28 as COVID cases spiked due to the delta variant.

On Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper said he was encouraging local governments and school boards to end mask requirements as COVID infections are falling across the state after the surge in omicron cases. However, he said some businesses may still choose to require employees and customers to wear masks.

And although Mecklenburg will drop its mask-wearing requirement, businesses can still set their own requirement for staff and customers. Some businesses like Blumenthal Performing Arts and Northlake Mall told the Observer they are reviewing the county’s changes and discussing next steps.

Here’s what to expect at other local businesses:

Alchemy Restaurant

Glen Nocik, owner of Alchemy Restaurant, which opened in South End in June 2020, has followed guidelines throughout the pandemic and plans to continue doing so.

“We opened our doors right as the virus began its spread throughout the entire world,” Nocik said. “Even when the mask mandate was previously lifted for a short period of time, our staff continued to wear them because we felt it was important for the safety of our staff and diners.

“Following the science-led recommendations of no longer warranting masks is a reasonable directive to follow at this time,” Nocik said.

Congregate NoDa

Randy Martin, who is general manager and owner of Congregate NoDa, a coworking space in a repurposed church that opened in October 2020, said he’ll leave it to visitors to do what’s best for them.

“We are fortunate to have ample space for our members and visitors to spread out, and will continue to have some social distance policies for the time being,” he said. “On a personal level, I’m excited about welcoming new members and showing them what we’ve created in the heart of NoDa... and actually seeing their faces.”

Esther and Elsa Retail

Jordan Dollard, chief retail strategist with Esther and Elsa Retail — which works with open-air markets and pop-up shops including Front Porch Sundays and Nebel’s Alley — said the team will leave it to customers to do what works for them.

“I think many of the business owners who participate in our events will still choose to wear masks when having face-to-face interactions with customers, even at outdoor events,” Dollard said.

“As a consumer, I’ll personally continue to make decisions about when it’s appropriate to wear my mask. There will be many situations where it’ll still feel necessary, and I’m happy to wear my mask to enjoy more without feeling anxious,” Dollard added. “I wish others would have that same mentality, but I can only control myself,” Dollard added.

Evening Muse

The Evening Muse will likely align with local COVID protocols, including not requiring masks for customers or staff, Kuhlmann, the owner, said.

The Muse was one of the first major local venues to resume in-person concerts indoors in May after closing in March 2020 because of the pandemic. Since reopening, the Muse required staff to wear masks and asked customers to do the same.

Since December, when the omicron variant caused another surge in cases, Kuhlmann said many artists began canceling or postponing shows. There have been about 150 shows since May.

“It’s been really tough,” he said. “We did the best we could and hopefully kept some people protected.”

Kuhlmann wants everyone to feel welcome and safe at the small venue, which can hold about 120 people. The Evening Muse also will honor any COVID safety requirements set by the artists. “I’m really hoping that we’re getting to the backside of this,” Kuhlmann said.

Neighborhood Theatre

Over at Neighborhood Theatre in the same neighborhood, operator Gregg McCraw said customers will not be required to mask up. Whether workers there will continue to be required to mask will be decided with staff input, said McCraw, owner of MaxxMusic which operates Neighborhood Theatre.

“There’s nothing that we can do that will make everybody happy,” he said. “Our goal is to keep customers staff and artists as safe as we can.”

Neighborhood Theatre holds more than 950 people. McCraw said it’s been difficult getting people to comply with the mask requirement since reopening in June. “It’s been a struggle. It’s not been fun for many of us,” he said.

The theater also will continue to follow artist recommendations for COVID safety at shows.

Neighborhood Theatre, The Evening Muse and most other venues had been requiring proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests since August. But McCraw said most venues recently dropped that requirement but are still encouraging people get vaccinated.

Recommendations on masks

Despite Mecklenburg County’s decision to end the mask mandate, the county is still recommending people wear masks to help stop the spread of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing masks in communities with rates of high transmission, which includes Mecklenburg.

As of Feb. 1, the last county-specific data available, 14.1% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. The target level is 5% or lower to slow the spread of the virus, according to health officials. Statewide in North Carolina, as of Feb. 14, some 12.5% of coronavirus tests were reported positive.

Some masks will still be required

And you will need to where a mask in certain places in the county.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office sent a new release Thursday saying it will still require all personnel, visitors and residents at Mecklenburg detention centers to wear masks indoors. The sheriff’s office cited CDC guidelines that identify congregate settings, such as detention centers, as higher-risk.

And UNC Charlotte will continue to require masks in some places on campus, the school told students in a campus-wide email Thursday.

Masks will still be required on university transit and in classrooms, the student health center and the main library, as well as at indoor gatherings. Mask and capacity restrictions at outdoor gatherings will be removed. The guideline changes will take effective Feb. 26, in accordance with the county change.

Cooper encouraged anyone who hasn’t gotten the COVID vaccine or booster shot to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

“The most important thing people need to know is vaccines provide the strongest protection against serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths from this virus,” he said. “It is the unvaccinated who are experiencing the vast majority of COVID deaths.”

This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 6:00 AM.