Guilford County issued the following announcement on Jan. 13.
During 5:00PM Virtual Special Meeting, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, serving in the role of the County Board of Health, issued a COVID- 19 mask mandate. The approved rule became effective upon adoption at 6:30PM Thursday, January 13, 2022 for Guilford County residents and businesses due to the to the severity of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Omicron Variant currently affecting Guilford County, North Carolina and the United States.
Guilford County Commissioners voted to re-instate its mandatory mask policy for all persons throughout Guilford County, regardless of their vaccination status. Pursuant to the Guilford County Board of Health rule, individuals must wear face coverings when indoors in all business, establishments and public places. Failure to comply with this re-instated mask rule could result in leveraged civil penalties.
This reinstated countywide mandatory mask mandate takes place five months to the day from the last reinstated mask mandate which occurred due to a surge of the COVID-19 Delta Variant. Since that time, Omicron has taken the forefront as the prevailing variant affecting the United States. Guilford County is currently experiencing a significant surge in infection rates with a 14-day positivity rate of 26.8% up from 7.4% positivity rates in December. Medical partners urged the Board of Commissioners to take immediate mitigation efforts to help address the surge’s impacts to the health system.
County residents and businesses are encouraged to follow all directives and recommendations set forth by the Guilford County Board of Health, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and the Guilford County Department of Public Health in order to slow the spread of the virus and help reduce the county’s rapidly rising rates of infection.
“This Board of Health rule is necessary to safeguard our residents, visitors, and local businesses as well as protect our local health partners and county Emergency Management resources,” stated Guilford County Board of Commissioners Chairman, Melvin ‘Skip’ Alston. “While no one can clearly predict how this situation will continue to evolve, what we do know for sure is that the continued exponential increase in COVID-19 positives is unacceptable and we must act now to mitigate its effect; we simply cannot stand idly by while our residents continue to die. I am confident about our emergency preparedness plans, our staff, and the fact that our community stakeholders are doing their best to protect our residents. It is always the right time to do the right thing. Regardless of your vaccination status, we know that wearing masks helps prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus and we know it saves lives."
County officials will begin communication efforts to share the newly adopted rules and educate the public on the new masking requirements immediately.
Original source can be found here.
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