Mecklenburg Commissioners Approve Stricter Mask Mandate

CHARLOTTE, NC — Face coverings must be worn at all county parks and inside all county buildings, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners decided by unanimous vote Tuesday night.

The new face covering mandate goes into effect immediately and comes as Mecklenburg County leads the state in community spread of COVID-19. As of July 8, Mecklenburg County reported 13,489 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, and 158 deaths, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

It does not apply to town buildings in Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, Pineville or Mint Hill, WSOC reported.

Under North Carolina's current mask mandate, which went into effect June 26, face coverings are required in public spaces, both indoor and outdoor, when socially distancing is difficult.

The mandate approved by county commissioners takes Gov. Roy Cooper's executive order further, requiring a face covering be worn by all customers, employees and other users indoors in county owned or leased facilities, as well as in an "indoor or outdoor situation in which people cannot maintain the CDC recommended social distance, including those in County parks."

According to the draft order, exceptions made for the current statewide executive order would continue to apply to the county order, as well as also include county staff in private offices, as well as when complying with directions of law enforcement officers.

County Health Director Gibbie Harris told commissioners that Mecklenburg hospitalizations, which are currently at 80 percent capacity, are expected to rise. “I think there is reason for concern, and I think we’ve got to step up as a community to really get this under control before we start looking like a Houston or a San Antonio,” she said, according to WSOC.

DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen addressed the regional pressures on hospitalizations in the Charlotte metro during a news conference Tuesday, saying her agency is "watching closely" due to the higher rates of hospitalizations.

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