Face masks required for everyone under Durham’s new state of emergency :: WRAL.com

By Sydney Franklin, WRAL multiplatform producer and Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter

Durham, North Carolina – Everyone must wear face masks indoors in Durham, according to a new state of emergency from county and city officials.

The new state of emergency will come into effect on Monday at 5 p.m.

Face masks will be mandatory in any indoor public place, business or establishment, even for people who have been vaccinated.

Officials said the new state of emergency stems from the increase in cases of COVID-19 from the Delta variant.

“I think it’s a great idea. I support it 100%. We don’t know what the virus is doing and we’re back to where we were,” said Natalia Harwood, a resident of Durham.

Over the past month, the percentage positive infection rate in County Durham has doubled from 2.3% to 4.6%, officials said.

North Carolina reported 4,506 new cases on Friday – nearly 20 times the number reported by the state a month ago.

“This is a direction in which we did not want to go,” said Durham City Councilor Mark-Anthony Middleton. “We’re not out of the woods yet. We’re better than before, but we’re not out of the woods yet.”

Middleton said city officials were not seeking to arrest or impose fines on people who did not wear masks. Ultimately, Middleton said it was up to businesses and neighbors to look out for each other.

North Carolina’s state mask mandate expired on July 30. Gov. Roy Cooper has lobbied businesses across the state to verify whether employees are vaccinated against the coronavirus and, if not, require them to wear masks and take weekly drug tests.

The push won’t be a requirement for companies, but “a strong recommendation,” Cooper said.

Exotique clothing store manager Hakim Zayid-Bey said the new tenure didn’t have much impact on his business.

“I never took off the sign indicating the masks,” he said. “It’s always good if someone has a cold or a cough.”

Durham Mayor Steve Schewel urged residents to get vaccinated to help “curb the development of variants.”

“The city and county are also redoubling their efforts to immunize many of our communities,” Schewel said in a press release.

Schewel said the institution of a mask warrant was to help protect residents and their vulnerable neighbors.

Harwood said she will do what needs to be done to keep her family safe.

“Putting on a mask is the least you can do,” she said.