GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — The mask mandate has returned in Guilford County. The mandate went back into effect on Friday and Whether you live in Greensboro, High Point, or Summerfield – masks are required countywide.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners, acting as the County Board of Health, voted 7-2 to reinstate indoor mask rules last week. It comes as hospitalizations and COVID-19 cases are rising, and not enough people are getting vaccinated.
Guilford County Commission Chair Skip Alston told WFMY News 2 the county will not enforce the mask mandate for the next 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.
The board is erring on the side of caution, so they’re going to make some revisions. The most important one will be removing the criminal aspect of it.
Several local businesses said keeping up with all the changes hasn't been easy.
"It's been a roller coaster," the owner of Cheveux salon, Kristi Doganavsargil, said. "We are just happy to still be in business."
"The hardest part for us was, we didn't have a lot of customers that knew about," the owner of The Speakeasy Tavern, Wesley Camping, said.
Camping said the first weekend with the mandate, there wasn't as much push back as he expected.
"You're going to have certain people that are just going to do it because they are good regulars of ours, and know us, and respect us, and that side of it," Camping said. "Then there's the other side of it, where there are people who are absolutely adamant against it and I haven't run into a lot of those."
For some businesses, mask policies never ended.
"We encouraged masks the entire time even when there was no mandate, the assistant manager at Acme Comics," Ben Roberts, said. "All of our staff has been masked the entire time, we just want this to be a safe environment for people."
As for those who stop into local businesses, they didn't notice too many maskless customers.
"It's a bit of a bummer having that freedom and not have to wear the mask because it is a bit of an inconvenience, but for personal safety, you want to be able to wear them to protect people around you and yourself too," resident Clem Venable said.
Overall, businesses are adjusting and they are encouraging their customers to adjust with them. If you are at a bar, cafe, salon, or gym, masks are required for all businesses in the county.
