Here is Wake County’s new COVID mask mandate, and the five towns opting out
Wake County late Wednesday afternoon released details of a new mask mandate to help fight COVID-19.
The order requires people over the age of 5 to wear a mask in public and commercial spaces including businesses regardless of their vaccination status. It takes effect at 7 a.m. Friday.
The Wake County order is effective until Nov. 1 unless it is rescinded sooner.
“This is critical for us in our efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic especially the delta variant,” said Matt Calabria, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “Our infection rates have gone up about 1,300% since June 1 — which is startling.”
“And it’s incumbent on us to do everything we can within reason to protect public health and safety,” he said. “The better response we mount now, the shorter the duration this pandemic will be and more lives will, ultimately, be saved.”
Garner, Knightdale, Morrisville, Rolesville and Zebulon all joined Wake County in its mask mandate. Raleigh and Cary have both issued their own mask orders. Combined, that makes up about 83% of the county’s population.
That means masks will be required everywhere in Wake County except the municipal limits of Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Wake Forest and Wendell. However, businesses can still require masks and some municipal buildings may require masks in those jurisdictions.
“I think this is a difficult decision, but ultimately we are making the right one,” Calabria said. “Obviously it would have been ideal to have uniformity on this, but I understand that each mayor has given this very thorough consideration. I have spoken to all of them about this over the last several days, and I think we are all trying to do the best thing for our people.”
The city of Raleigh reinstated its indoor mask requirement on Aug. 13.
“The data demonstrated that the virus is spreading rapidly and hospitalizations are up,” Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin told The News & Observer. “This is a necessary step to keep people safe and support our small-business community. The last thing we want is another shutdown. We made the decision that we felt was best for our city at this time.”
The town of Cary reinstated its indoor mask mandate Monday effective at 5 p.m. Wednesday. There are some exceptions including people participating in religious worship or funeral services.
Masks work, says Cary mayor
“This new phase of the pandemic has brought some old challenges roaring back, but our experience in 2020 taught us an important lesson: Masks work,” Weinbrecht said.
“Because Cary citizens decided to protect each other by masking up last year, we were able to keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed,” he continued. “With the delta variant spreading quickly, we need that community spirit now more than ever.”
Both Cary and Raleigh’s orders require people to wear masks in private or public settings when not with members of the same households. Wake County’s order doesn’t apply to private homes or vehicles.
Wake County’s order also provides exemptions for religious and spiritual gatherings, weddings and funerals, if someone is alone in a room or being photographed by a professional photographer.
There have been more than 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wake County. But the county has seen a 972% increase in COVID cases from June 1 to Aug. 9 due to the much more transmissible delta variant.
Details about how and where to get tested for COVID-19 can be found at covid19.wakegov.com, by emailing covid19.questions@wakegov.com or by calling 888-675-4567.
This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 4:22 PM.
