Raleigh mayor favors a new indoor face mask mandate. What about the rest of Wake?
Update: “Raleigh indoor mask rule could start Friday night. Some other Wake mayors have questions.”
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin says she supports an indoor mask mandate to slow the spread of COVID-19.
She and Wake County’s other mayors will meet with local public health officials Friday morning to “build consensus.”
“Wake County health experts are making this recommendation based on recent data,” she said. “We have to take steps to ensure public safety, protect our small businesses and do everything we can to prevent another lockdown.”
Several of the county’s 11 other mayors said earlier this week they were closely watching COVID-19 trends and did not support a new mask mandate. The News & Observer emailed all the mayors late Thursday afternoon asking if they had changed their minds.
Zebulon Mayor Bob Matheny said he is “open for discussion but no decision yet.”
“As we closely monitor data and information from the Governor’s office, we will continue to evaluate and communicate any necessary updates for Apex,” said Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert.
A vote by council is not required for a state of emergency and mask mandate. That’s a power reserved for mayors and the chair of the board of county commissioners, which covers the unincorporated part of the county.
North Carolina has a growing list of cities — including Asheville, Boone, Chapel Hill, Durham and Greensboro — that have issued mask mandates. Most of them have been joined by the other cities or towns within their counties.
There have been more than 98,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wake County, with more than half of the confirmed cases in Raleigh.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people who are vaccinated should still wear a mask in public indoor spaces in areas with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19. Nearly all of North Carolina is considered an area of high transmission.
Demand for COVID-19 testing has swelled in recent days and Wake County has expanded its testing hours.
Virtual City Council meetings
The Raleigh City Council is returning to virtual meetings, Baldwin said. The decision is unrelated to the news that Council member Jonathan Melton tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.
Raleigh Council member Patrick Buffkin called the move to virtual meetings the “wrong decision for Raleigh.
“Kids (and) teachers are going back to school (with) masks on while our city government is retreating to virtual meetings (without) scientific support,” he tweeted. “That’s not leadership.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 5:55 PM.
