Orange County Leaders Declare Requirement for Face Coverings

Orange County will now require most people in the county to wear a face covering when out of their homes.

The county Board of Commissioners, in cooperation with the mayors of the county’s towns, announced a change to its state of emergency order on Wednesday morning. The addition to the order, which is slated to run through August 31, says all people in an indoor or outdoor situation when six feet of distance cannot be kept must wear some kind of mask.

The change specifically mentions anyone who is visiting a grocery store, visiting a retail store or using a public transportation vehicle as needing a mandatory face covering. Orange County had already passed a requirement for employees of stores and restaurants to wear masks at work in May.

There are exceptions for those who will not have to wear a face covering in these situations, according to the order. Anyone with a medical or behavioral condition affected by a mask, as well as anyone whose religious beliefs prevent them from wearing a face covering, is excluded from the requirement. Children under the age of 12 are also allowed to not wear a mandatory face mask.

The order also lists situations where it’s permitted people to remove their masks. When dining in restaurants, in private offices, when solely with family or household members and when complying with directions of law enforcement officers are some of the scenarios listed.

The face covering requirement is slated to go into effect on Friday starting at 5 p.m.

Hillsborough Mayor Jenn Weaver spoke to 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck about the new measure on Tuesday.

“Similar to the stay at home order,” she said, “it’s not something that we are going to be able to enforce with a heavy hand, which I think is good especially in this current environment. It’s more of an education tool and sending a strong message that people should be wearing these inside and are unable to keep that physical distance between other people.”

The City of Durham has required residents to wear face coverings when out in public in an effort to fight COVID-19 since April. But when asked in May about whether a requirement may be coming for their towns, both the Chapel Hill and Carrboro mayors said it would be difficult to enforce mandatory masks.

Since then, however, the Town of Chapel Hill launched a mask campaign striving to get any resident in need of a face covering a free option. COVID-19 cases in across North Carolina, and in Orange County, also continue to rise, with Governor Roy Cooper and state health officials saying Monday they are concerned about recent trends. As of Tuesday, there are 408 reported coronavirus cases in the county.

North Carolina has been in Phase 2 of reopening since May 22, but the state has since seen increases in hospitalizations due to the coronavirus and percentages of positive tests.

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Orange County Leaders Declare Requirement for Face Coverings

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