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Despite a surge in new COVID-19 cases, New Hanover County residents will not be required to wear facemasks.
The New Hanover County Health and Human Services Board voted 5-5 on a motion not to re-instate a countywide mask mandate Tuesday, even as COVID-19 positivity rates climb with the spread of the omicron variant.
Following the tie vote, the board took no further action on the mandate before adjourning their meeting.
The Wilmington area has seen a substantial increase in its COVID-19 positivity rate and New Hanover Regional Medical Center is feeling the strain.
While symptoms caused by omicron tend to be more mild than previous variants, omicron has spread through the community more quickly than COVID-19 has in the past, said David Howard, the New Hanover County Health and Human Services Director.
Over the last three weeks, New Hanover County has seen an increasingly high rate of COVID-19 positivity. The county saw a positivity rate of 27% from Dec. 27 to Jan. 2.
Related:The way omicron has spread in New Hanover is ‘truly incredible,’ health officials say
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More:Omicron and Wilmington restaurants: What to know about the latest COVID spike when dining out
From Jan. 3 through Jan. 9, the county’s positivity rate was 46%, and the week of Jan. 10 to Jan. 16 the positivity rate was 41%, according to data Howard presented to the board on Tuesday. So far, 15 people have died in 2022 from COVID-19 in New Hanover County, he said.
Currently, the hospital has 93 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, with 10 of those patients being treated in the intensive care unit.
New Hanover Regional Medical center is seeing high numbers of patients being seen with COVID-19-like illnesses, staffing shortages and increased admissions from COVID-19.
They currently have 57 patients waiting in the Emergency Department for a hospital bed and have patients who leave the Emergency Department before being seen because of long wait times, including some up to 18 hours long.
Members of the board seemed split when discussing another mask mandate. While some said the community needs to be doing everything possible to slow the spread, others highlighted the difficulty businesses and their employees have had in enforcing mask mandates.
Board member Kara Duffy, a local veterinarian, said she believes masks could play an important role in limiting the spread of COVID-19.
“With as many sick people as we have in this county right now, we need to be using every single thing at our disposal to try and slow the spread,” she said, “and hopefully get through this wave as quickly as we can and with as few mortalities and hospitalizations as we can.”
New Hanover County Commissioner Jonathan Barfield said he is concerned about the enforcement responsibilities a mask mandate places on businesses and their workers. He also said residents should choose how they respond to the rising COVID-19 cases.
“It’s our free will to make choices,” he said. “But we also live with the consequences of those choices.”
Following his comments, Barfield introduced a motion to not re-instate the countywide mask mandate.
Five people spoke during the meeting’s public comment period. They all opposed re-instating the mask mandate. They argued that mask mandates haven’t worked in limiting the spread of COVID-19 and said masking “makes zero logical sense” and has “done more harm than good,” especially for the county’s children.
During the board’s discussion, members of the audience held up signs with messages opposing a mask mandate, including “Tell the truth: Masks don’t work.”
Howard said the New Hanover County Department of Health and Human Services is considering other efforts to raise awareness about COVID-19 prevention.
Efforts include increasing the visibility of messages on billboards, public transportation and social media, increasing engagement from county leaders and ensuring vaccines, testing and masks are available to the communities hardest hit by the pandemic.
Currently, 62% of New Hanover residents have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or one Johnson and Johnson shot with approximately 30% of residents getting a booster shot, according to Howard.
New Hanover County lifted its most recent mask mandate on Nov. 12. At the time, the countywide COVID-19positivity rate was approximately 2.7%.
Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.
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