South Raleigh News

Town of Cary recently issued the following announcement.

• Cary will no longer require masks in indoor public spaces as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, October 29. 
• The order was enacted on August 18, 2021 in response to a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases brought on by the Delta variant, and is being rescinded as those case rates plummet locally and regionally. 
• Beginning Friday, masks will no longer be required for indoor facilities including those owned and operated by the Town. 

In response to falling rates of COVID-19 infection in Cary and the larger region, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht on Thursday announced he would rescind the Town’s requirement for masks in all indoor spaces, which has been in effect since August 18, 2021. That order will now expire at 12:01 a.m. Friday, October 29.

This change does not apply to GoCary or the Cary Depot, where masks will continue to be required by federal order until at least January 18.

“Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been so impressed and humbled by Cary citizens’ willingness to take care of their neighbors. When we reintroduced the mask requirement in response to the Delta variant case surge, I knew it was a lot to ask, but I had no doubt people here would continue to do the right thing, and they have,” Weinbrecht said. “Thanks to our high vaccination rate and the concern you’ve shown for each other through continued masking, positive case rates have once again declined significantly, which allows us to relax restrictions while still encouraging caution,” he continued.

In the last seven days, Wake County’s case rate has decreased by 39 percent, and the death rate has decreased 60 percent in the same period. Hospitalizations for people with COVID-like symptoms are hovering around 120 in the county.

More than three quarters of Wake County’s total population has at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Weinbrecht said he was encouraged by the likely impending emergency authorization of vaccines for children ages 5-11, noting that every new vaccination is a step in the right direction.

“Gov. Cooper has continually encouraged decision-making at the local level and always in consideration of CDC and NCDHHS guidance. We continue to look to the science as we make these calls, and the bottom line is that the measures we’ve all taken together have had a positive outcome for our community and the health systems that serve it. I believe rescinding this order now is the next step in our journey through this pandemic. It allows everyone in Cary the flexibility to make healthy choices that work for themselves and those closest to them as we head into the holiday season.”

Original source can be found here.