Most towns, cities in Wake County will not require masks, mayors say
Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Wake Forest and Holly Springs will not be requiring masks, the mayors of each community announced on Friday.
The city of Raleigh announced that a mask mandate will go into effect on Friday night, and Wake County officials are also planning on issuing a mask mandate, but are still working to finalize the effective date.
If the county does implement a mask mandate, then it would only apply to residents living outside of a Wake County town or city. That's only 17% of the county's population, authorities said.
"Each mayor makes his or her own decision" as it pertains to a new mask mandate, county officials said.
Knightdale will be requiring masks in accordance with Wake County starting next week. So far, Knightdale and Raleigh are the only towns or cities in Wake County following the county leadership's recommendation.
Mayor of Wake Forest Vivian Jones said in statement on Friday that the town would be "strongly urging everyone to wear a mask in all indoor public spaces."
"Our decision not to issue a mask mandate at this time should not be interpreted as a refusal to acknowledge the seriousness of our current situation. Rather, we are choosing to rely on our citizens to do their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19," she said.
Fuquay-Varina Mayor John Byrne said town officials are recommending masks but are not requiring them.
"We support businesses requiring a mask to be worn within their facility just as the town of Fuquay-Varina has done at our facilities," Bryne said.
County officials said in a release on Friday that they would be asking town and city leaders to implement a mask mandate.
A state of emergency will also be issued soon, county officials say.
Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert said that officials will "continue to evaluate the situation, but we have made the decision not to mandate masks at this time.”
Dick Sears, mayor of Holly Springs, said that he would be issuing a strong recommendation for others to wear masks, but they would not be required.
He said that Holly Springs has a very low impact on COVID-19 cases compared to other parts of the state. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that Wake County has a high transmission rate of COVID-19.
Wake County had more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases in the first eight days of August, according to a presentation by Dr. Nicole Mushonga, the Associate Medical Director with Wake County Human Services.
There's also been a nearly 1,000% increase in cases from the first week of June through the first week of August in Wake County. Hospitalizations increased by 123% over the last 14 days in the county.
The mayor of Morrisville told WRAL News on Friday that he will likely implement a mask mandate in the town soon.
Rolesville, Zebulon, Garner and Cary have not yet made a decision.
