The mayor of Winston-Salem asked residents to wear masks while inside public buildings to prevent the spread of COVID-19. | Kate Trifo/Unsplash
The mayor of Winston-Salem asked residents to wear masks while inside public buildings to prevent the spread of COVID-19. | Kate Trifo/Unsplash
Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines recently recommended that people again mask up when they are in public indoor spaces.
This is due to an uptick in the number of COVID-19 particulates found in wastewater, which indicates that coronavirus cases might increase correspondingly.
“Our community is experiencing a rise in the number of positive COVID cases,” Joines told WGHP. “Our current daily case count is over 140 per day. As you may recall, our target is fewer than 10 cases per day. Therefore, I am urging our citizens to take precautions to protect themselves and others by wearing a mask indoors. This is particularly important when you are in large groups or in a close setting. If two individuals are wearing a mask, there is less than a 3% chance of the virus being transmitted between those two individuals.”
Joines also suggested that people get vaccinated or get a booster shot if they have not already done so.
“If we work together, we can contain the spread of the virus and prevent the adoption of more stringent requirements,” he said.
Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) in February defended moving the state away from mandatory face coverings, WGHP reported. He said it is important to get back to a more normal life, especially for schoolchildren.
“We are taking a positive step on mask requirements to help us move safely toward a more normal day-to-day life,” Cooper said. “It’s time to focus on getting our children a good education and improving our schools, no matter how you feel about masks.”
Since that decision, North Carolinians have been less inclined to mask up, even if they are indoors with many people.
Joines lifted his city’s mask mandate on March 1, following the state’s decision on Feb. 17. He said at the time that the decision to lift mandatory mask rules was based on several factors.
“Rescinding mask mandates when COVID case numbers allow is an important stepping-stone to an endemic rather than pandemic approach to COVID,” he said in March.
One factor in Joines’ recent decision to urge voluntary compliance is the state’s report on the number of virus particles found in wastewater. That figure had decreased to 1.2 million viral particles per person for the week ending March 16, WGHP reported. It has since rebounded to 26.5 million as of May 25.
Alerts Sign-up