Ditching masks outdoors is a welcome reprieve for athletes
The easing of mask rules is impacting high school, college and recreational sports throughout North Carolina.
It was packed at the WRAL soccer fields Wednesday, and some are excited about being able to possibly play without a mask in the near future.
NCFC is one soccer organization that would be impacted by Gov. Cooper's announcement. They currently require all players and coaches to wear masks while on the field, but they say they're still weighing the risks of potential changes to that policy.
"From the soccer side, we're still combing through the executive order, with regards to exactly what it means for our organization and all aspects of the player/parent experience" said NCFC director Bryan Bachelder.
The NCFC organization has more than 13,000 players, so its decision will have a wide impact.
"I think that's smart," said parent Jodi Wells. "That will make everybody feel a bit more comfortable that they're taking their time and not just making a rushed decision. Making sure people who are in the league are comfortable with it and agree with it. Otherwise, they might lose customers, and teams might have to split up, and that wouldn't be good for anybody."
Zoe Phillips is one of those athletes, and she says she's ready to ditch the mask.
“I don’t like playing in a mask," she explained. "I keep losing track of mask on which ones to wear and which ones I don’t want to wear.”
Dr. Rachel Roper with ECU's Brody School of Medicine says that the decision will come down to what people are comfortable with.
“It is an individual decision and you know when they make the general guidelines, that is for the general public, and that means generally, people will be okay doing it,” Roper explained.
Also Wednesday, lawmakers passed a bill that would allow all N.C. football stadiums to be filled to capacity this fall.
Roper says that nothing comes with zero risk.
“You want to think about your personal risk and the risk you are willing to take," she said. "So, if you are vaccinated, you are protected 90, maybe 95 percent; it’s not 100 percent.”
