Mecklenburg County Announces Decision On Indoor Mask Mandate

Mecklenburg County officials have voted to drop the indoor mask mandate following a recommendation from the county health director.

In an unanimous vote on Wednesday (February 16), the board of commissioners rescinded the mandate that was previously reinstated in August 2021 during the surge of the Delta coronavirus variant, WCNC reports. As required by law, the mandate will remain in place for 10 days after the vote, ending on February 26.

Before Mecklenburg County Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington's recommendation to the board, the health department evaluated several factors, including: shifting COVID-19 conditions, higher community immunity, stabilized capacity at hospitals and lack of enforcement.

The indoor mask mandate was reinstated when the Delta variant caused the positivity rate to soar to 14%. According to the news outlet, officials in the county said the COVID-19 positivity rate would need to stay below 5% for a week before the mask mandate could end; however, as of February 14, that rate was around 14.5%. While that number may look high, it has in fact decreased since the start of the month when February 8 recorded a positivity rate of 20.8%.

While many in the community are happy to see the mandate rescinded, others, like Novant Health's Dr. Charles Bregier, remind the public how masks have helped over the course of the pandemic.

"Let's remember how much they've helped prevent many, many more deaths than we would've had otherwise," said Dr. Bregier.

Despite his recommendation, Washington still recommends that people, particularly those in high-risk groups, wear masks in public indoor settings. As of Thursday, masks are still required inside Charlotte-Mecklenburg School, but Washington encouraged K-12 schools and daycares to start preparing for a masks-optional approach.