CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County’s indoor mask mandate will be automatically lifted when the average percent positive rate for COVID-19 is below 5% for one week, commissioners unanimously approved Wednesday night.
“I hear the frustration,” Commissioner Leigh Altman said. “I read the emails. I entreat this community to reach down deep and understand that we are following the metrics. This is about listening to the science, the data and doing our best to navigate through this.”
Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris clarified that the rate must be 4.99% or lower for seven days. A vote or a meeting is not required to lift the mask mandate.
Harris said that she supports the decision to lift the mask mandate under that condition.
She said when the county reaches that goal, it will indicate the county has moved in the right direction and it is an opportunity to give the public a break.
The current weekly average is 7.1%, but questions have been raised about the metrics being used.
There’s a difference between county and state percent of positivity rate, which has created some confusion. The metric is important because it’s the one Mecklenburg County is using to decide what to do about the indoor mask mandate.
Officials with the health department said they’ve noticed that the state is reporting lower rates than what NCDHHS is.
The county health department told Channel 9 it calculates the positivity rate by dividing the number of positive tests collected on a given day by the total number of tests taken, however, the figures do not match the state’s numbers.
For example, the county is reporting a 7.1% positivity rate, as of Friday. At the same time, the state reported 5.8%.
Mecklenburg County Deputy Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington visited Channel 9′s studios on Wednesday morning and explained that there is an issue happening with the data coming back from the lab and that they are working with the state to sort out the discrepancy.
[ PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Everything you need to know about Mecklenburg County’s indoor mask mandate ]
The countywide mask mandate was implemented at the beginning of September due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
The mandate requires face coverings to be worn in any indoor public place, business or establishment within the city of Charlotte and the unincorporated areas of Mecklenburg County, regardless of vaccination status. The requirement applies to anyone age 4 or older.
(WATCH BELOW: Dr. Raynard Washington explains Meck County’s plan to roll out vaccines for kids ages 5-11)
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