Raleigh mayor: 'We're almost there' to lifting mask mandate; communities, schools, businesses consider a change

Tuesday will mark another chapter in the back-and-forth for mask mandates for local school districts.

Posted 4:40 p.m. Feb 7, 2022 — Updated 11:35 p.m. Feb 7, 2022

Matt Talhelm

, WRAL reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — Tuesday will mark another chapter in the back-and-forth discussion over mask mandates for local school districts. It's part of an ongoing, nationwide discussion as schools, businesses and public spaces continue to deal with COVID-19 nearly two years after the virus became widespread in the United States.

Whether to lift mask mandates is one of the many decisions coming in the weeks and months ahead for municipalities, businesses and schools. In North Carolina, Monday's COVID metrics show a 19.3 percent positive test rate for COVID and 4,032 people hospitalized with the virus. Those numbers, though still concerning, are down from peaks seen in January. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID tracker still shows every county in North Carolina listed as having 'high' levels of transmission.

Cumberland, Johnston and Lee counties will hold votes on whether to continue mask mandates in schools on Tuesday.

In December, Johnston County Public Schools board members mentioned they had hoped to lift the mandate in the new year. Currently, all students, staff, and guests are required to wear face coverings inside all JCPS facilities. The board voted 4-3 to keep the mask mandate in December.

"I think what they have to look at is not just the relative difference from the peak but where we stand compared to previous peaks," said Dr. David Weber with UNC Health.

Last week, Wake County Public School System officials announced their mask mandate will continue, with an added recommendation for masks for children ages 2 to 4. Recently, the North Carolina School Boards Association reported 89 school districts require masks and 26 make masks optional.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin told WRAL News on Monday that she'd like to see the rate of positive tests fall below 5% before lifting the mask mandate, but that she will be flexible.

"Everyone is tired of this, everyone including myself," Baldwin said. "But we have to do what we have to do to protect the public."

She meets Tuesday with Wake County leaders to lay the groundwork for such a decision.

Raleigh's indoor mask mandate was reinstituted in August at restaurants, bars, shops and government buildings and has remained in effect since. Baldwin floated the idea of lifting the mandate in December, but ultimately kept it in place.

At this point, there's no timeframe for when Raleigh and Wake County plan to make a decision on lifting the mandates.

"We’re almost there," Baldwin said. "I’m hoping in two weeks we can take a look at this and say, 'ok, we’re done.'”

"We are watching it every week to make sure we get the latest information and can remove the mask mandate as soon as possible," said Wake County Commissioners Chair Sig Hutchinson. "We’re still heading in a very positive direction, but we’re probably not where we want to be."

Jessica Dixon, a WakeMed infection prevention specialist, said that decision would be easier if more people were vaccinated.

The CDC reports that 64 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against the virus with more than 89 million Americans having received a booster shot. In North Carolina, 62 percent of the adult population is fully vaccinated.

"To take away mandates for masking without putting anything else into place that mitigates that risk is a little scary," Dixon said.

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