Although indoor mask mandates remain in effect across much of Wake County, some people are choosing to ignore the rules and show their faces when they go shopping.
Wake County commissioners, along with officials in Raleigh, Garner, Knightdale, Morrisville, Rolesville and Zebulon extended their mask mandates at the start of the month for an indefinite period. Some officials said the county needs to drop into the "moderate vital transmission" category, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before they would consider lifting the mandate.
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Wake County remains in the "substantial viral transmission" category, with its rate of 92 new infections per 100,000 residents over the past week nearly double the rate needed to drop into the moderate category.
But the map is meaningless to some shoppers, who choose not to mask up when inside stores.
"I'm just kind of over the whole mask thing. I figure, if I get sick again, I get sick," said Jennifer Updgegraff, a hospital nurse. "Sometimes I'll put one on when I see that they're mandatory. If I don't see a sign that actually says 'mandatory,' I'll just go without it."
"I just feel like it's time to get back to normal," agreed Carol Hunter, who noted she's fully vaccinated against coronavirus and also has gotten a booster shot.
"I can't go the rest of my life wearing a mask," Hunter said. "I'm just done."
A WRAL News crew found four shoppers at a Carlie C's supermarket in Garner without masks on Monday.
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said she saw only one person without a mask at a store over the weekend.
"I think that most people are complying," Baldwin said.
North Carolina's seven-day average of new coronavirus cases has edged up for two straight days, and Monday marked its highest point since Nov. 4. Likewise, the percentage of positive virus tests statewide has recently trended up.
"My big fear – what I don't want to have happen – is we lift the mask mandate too soon, and then we have to go back again," Baldwin said. "What I would say to people is, 'Do this to protect others.'"
Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Wake Forest and Wendell don't have mask mandates in place.
Eugene Aldridge said that, even if other local cities and towns drop their mandates, he's not dropping his mask anytime soon.
"I actually enjoy wearing them because I feel like I'm doing my part," Aldridge said. "I feel strange if I don't have one on. I feel guilty and paranoid."