GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Guilford County's Board of Commissioners will vote Thursday on enforcing the county-wide indoor mask mandate.
The mask mandate went into effect on August 13 but Guilford County Commission Chair Skip Alston told WFMY News 2 the county will not enforce the mask mandate for 10 days. The county attorney said he didn’t read the ordinance requirements correctly, he was rushing in order to get the rule in order. It required a 10-day notice to implement.
County officials say they want to educate the public on the mandate but violators could be fined. Everyone gets one warning, then it's $50 for individuals. For businesses, it's $300 per business, then $500, and then $1500. A business could eventually be shut down for not following the mandate.
"I think it will be easier for businesses to say 'hey this is the rule in Guilford County' and so people might not get as much push back on it," said Katherine Hashemi, owner of Just Be in Greensboro.
According to the proposed amendment for the mandate, there are exceptions. Those include people who have a medical or behavioral. Children under five years old are also excluded as are people who are eating and drinking. Exceptions also include those looking to communicate with someone who is hearing-impaired and requires the mouth to be seen. If someone is Is giving a speech or performance for a broadcast, or to an audience, where they maintain a distance of at least 20 feet from the audience, they are excluded.
Worship, religious, spiritual gatherings, funeral ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, and other activities constituting the exercise of First Amendment rights are exempt from all requirements as well.
You can read the full mandate here.
WFMY spoke with people in downtown Greensboro who think enforcement needs to happen.
"I think it's necessary at this point. Different variants of the virus keep coming out. It's not going anywhere," said Landon Young.
Others say it's all about protecting everyone.
"At the end of the day, we don't want to want to get. Nobody else wants to pass it to their kids to get sick," said Shantavia Gray.
There is a hotline set up to report violations. You can call that number at 336-641-7638.
"This virus is very real. My uncle had it. I know people who were personally affected by it," said Landon Young. "Mask up. Stay clean. Stay safe out here."
The Board of Commissioners meeting is Thursday, August 26 at 5:30 p.m. You can join via Zoom.