It’s time to require masks in North Carolina. Here’s how.

If you don’t know the value of wearing a mask by now, there’s a good chance you don’t want to know. Public health officials, including in the Trump administration, have made it abundantly clear that face coverings help slow the spread of the virus. Two studies this month show that masks work in slowing COVID-19 transmissions and could prevent a second wave.

And yet.

People stubbornly shake their heads. They point to an ill-advised, months-old CDC statement discouraging mask use so more would be available to health care workers. They turn a public health measure into an ugly, partisan issue.

Such is why some cities, counties and states have been reluctant to require their citizens to wear masks, and it’s likely why Raleigh’s new mask “requirement” this week is not really a mandate at all. Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin stressed before and in her proclamation that the city’s mask mandate is considered voluntary, an inconsistency that’s already leading to confusion and skepticism about whether people will even bother.

There’s a better way. North Carolina, which is seeing a troubling surge in COVID-19 numbers, needs real mask mandates. They should be targeted. They should be collaborative. And they need just enough oomph to make people take them seriously.

The last part is the hardest, and it begins at the top. We don’t believe Gov. Roy Cooper should issue a statewide mask mandate - and the governor issuing city- or county-specific requirements should be a last resort. But his Department of Health and Human Services should provide data-driven announcements on which counties or cities are experiencing an urgent spike in cases and hospitalizations and shortages of hospital beds. Declaring those “areas of COVID-19 danger” would give local leaders some cover for issuing restrictions by lending weight to the urgency of their situations.

That’s especially important in counties like Mecklenburg and Wake, which can’t issue county-wide mask mandates if every town isn’t on board. That puts the burden on local leaders, who may be reluctant to do so on their own. A Charlotte City Council member told the Editorial Board this week that having such state support might be beneficial to council members, who aren’t medical professionals and may be reluctant to issue sweeping public health orders.

Will there be resistance to orders, if they come? Yes. Will people ignore or defy the mandate? Certainly. But the value in requiring masks doesn’t come from 100 percent compliance. It comes from enough people taking the mandate - and the urgency behind it - seriously enough to modify their behavior. For that to happen, mandates need at least a little teeth. Cities have taken different approaches to enforcement. In Montgomery, Ala., people who don’t wear a mask in public places will face the possibility of a $25 fine. In other cities, including Memphis, you get a warning on the first offense, with the possibility of fines in the future.

That doesn’t mean police should be patrolling the streets for uncovered faces. Such enforcement is impractical and ill-advised, especially with recent tensions surrounding police. But if business owners want to protect customers and employees by declining service to people who don’t wear masks, they should have their city and law enforcement behind them. In Raleigh, the mayor recommended that “all businesses require customers to wear a face covering while inside the business.” If Raleigh appears unwilling to do the same, why should it ask more of businesses?

Make no mistake, masks are uncomfortable in every sort of way. They’re uncomfortable to wear. They prompt disagreement and confrontation. And certainly, it’s not easy for public officials to require them. But N.C. leaders, including the governor, have long stressed that North Carolina needs to work together to slow the spread of COVID-19. That also means sharing the discomfort of doing what’s necessary. If masks are a real solution, they need a real commitment.

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 11:55 AM.