Orange County: A New Mask Mandate

With new COVID-19 infections on the rise locally and statewide, the Orange County government announced a shift back to requiring masks in its facilities. Effective Thursday, all visitors and employees in county government buildings must wear face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19, regardless of one’s vaccination status. Additionally, the Orange County government is […]

With COVID-19 cases back on the rise, Orange County officials are extending the county's indoor mask mandate into early 2022.

The Orange County government announced Monday it extended its local state of emergency declaration regarding COVID-19 to an indefinite period. The local government’s order, which saw the extension enacted on Friday at 5 p.m., has been in place since March of 2020, aiding the county’s response to the coronavirus pandemic by employing increased public health […]

Note: This story has been updated to reflect Orange County’s changes to its mask requirement that adopt the many of same regulations as issued by the latest executive order from the state. The Orange County government updated its existing mask requirement to align with the statewide requirement before it went into effect on Friday. Governor […]

The observation of Good Friday on March 29 will alter several government services around Orange County. Here’s what residents can expect: Town of Chapel Hill Good Friday is an official town holiday. Residential trash collection will not be affected, but collection of yard trimmings, curbside recycling and commercial trash will not occur on Friday. Recycling […]

After serving as the interim director for the last nine months, Erin Sapienza is now officially the permanent Orange County Library Director. The local government shared a release Monday afternoon, with county manager Bonnie Hammersley sharing details on why choosing Sapienza made the most sense. “Erin’s familiarity with Orange County Public Library and her leadership […]

After 780 days of being active, the state of emergency in Orange County enacted due to COVID-19 is officially going to expire. The county government shared on Saturday that because of steady data trends and lessened strain on health care systems, local leadership will allow the order to expire at 5 p.m. on Sunday. This […]

After being in place since March 2020 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of emergency order laying out Orange County’s response to the coronavirus now has an end date. As part of a technical correction to reflect the latest changes to the county’s indoor mask mandate, Chair of the Orange County Board […]

Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON Republicans at the North Carolina legislature have turned back efforts to repeal a new law that requires local school districts to vote regularly on face masks, a measure that critics say has contributed to some raucous board meetings. The House on Wednesday rejected an amendment to an education bill that […]

Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Renee Price joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell to discuss the new indoor mask mandate for all public spaces in the county.