Mask mandate remains for Mecklenburg County but metrics for lifting may change

CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County commissioners held their most meaningful COVID-19 discussion in months. However, their indoor mask policy has not changed.

Commissioners and several members of the public weighed in on when Mecklenburg County should join surrounding counties in taking a mask-optional approach.

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Several members of the public held signs and called on it to happen immediately. With vaccines, treatments and high-quality masks widely available, some county residents asked commissioners to lift the mandate.

“Is it science to allow maskless adults to pack into bars while school children mask for seven hours a day?” Jennifer Rea said.

The current percent positive rate is 28.9% and the current county policy won’t allow the mask mandate to be lifted until it is below 5% for a week.

But commissioners said it will stay in place until Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington says otherwise.

“If you want to know when the mask mandate will be done away with, it will be when we get a recommendation from our professionals that say it is in the best interest,” Chairman George Dunlap said.

Washington says that could be soon. He thinks Mecklenburg County has already hit its peak. With so many at-home tests not being counted toward the data and demand for testing dropping, he says the county may use other metrics to determine when to lift it.

Commissioner Laura Meier asked Washington if he will recommend a change in the metrics. The doctor said he would do that.

“We’ll look very closely and do our analyses and learn from our neighbors and folks from other big cities as they are a little ahead of us in the surge,” Washington said after the meeting.

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While commissioners and the health director say the mask mandate may be lifted soon, Charlotte resident Lisa O’Bryan says she is skeptical that will happen.

“It’s two weeks to flatten the curve, and we are still being told to be patient,” she said. “We have seen other places and other countries handle this differently and they are doing fine.”

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Washington presented several studies to county commissioners about mask effectiveness but these studies used data prior to the omicron surge. He also presented charts showing how Mecklenburg County compares to surrounding mask-free counties. The charts showed mixed results with Mecklenburg County faring, at times, better than surrounding counties and the same or worse at other times.

The studies and data can be reviewed here under the meeting’s agenda.

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