Mask mandate ends in Wake County schools and Durham, Orange counties

Effective Monday, masks will no longer be required within the Wake County Public School System, and Durham and Orange counties will rescind their indoor mask orders.

On Tuesday, Orange County Schools will adopt and optional masking policy, but Durham schools will keep current mask guidelines for now.

For roughly 159,000 Wake County students and 20,000 employees, Monday is the first time since the pandemic closed schools in March 2020 when masks will no longer be required, but recommended.

Masks on Wake schools buses are also recommended but not required.

Durham and Orange counties will be lifting their mask mandate after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest guidance, which puts more than 70 percent of the U.S. population in counties where the virus is "posing a low or medium threat."

Erika Byrd, who owns Sunshine Smiles Academy, a daycare in Durham, said many of the toddlers at her school have only known masks.

Byrd said students will learn better without masks.

“When they’re trying to learn how to annunciate words and how to express and learn, how to deal with emotions, it’s been very difficult, so we’re very excited,” said Byrd.

At Unleashed in Durham, Kayleigh Bain said the end of masks gives the pet store a chance to really get to know their community better.

“I think more people will be eager to go out and do things once the mask mandate is lifted," said Bain. "So I think it might increase our foot traffic, especially since we will have more people coming to visit, so that’s nice.”

Masks are still required in Durham schools.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools will also require that students wear face masks indoors until Monday, April 4.

Byrd says her employees and students still have the choice to wear a mask if they wish and she understands there may still be some hesitation.

“I feel like we’re in a good place just based on the numbers and the trends that we’ve been seeing ... I’m sure that some people do feel uneasy about it, and it’s hard to try and make the right decision,” said Byrd.

The new CDC guidance did not change requirements to wear a mask on public transportation and indoors in airports, train stations and bus stations.