More than 24 hours into NC’s mask mandate, some people wearing masks, others not

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than 24-hours into North Carolina’s mask mandate, Channel 9 has seen some people taking it seriously while others are not.

Law enforcement officials have said it is unlikely that people will be cited for violating the order, but they encourage the wearing of face coverings to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Channel 9′s Glenn Counts was out in Charlotte Saturday to see how people were handling the mask mandate.

“We live in South End, so the population is normally not wearing masks, so whenever we’re walking around, walking our dog, we didn’t tend to bring it,” resident Megan Moose said.

Moose and her boyfriend, Willis Davenport, said they were not serious about wearing a mask 24 hours ago but they said they have changed their minds.

“I think now that the data is catching up, it’s getting more serious because, when this started, people were wondering if we were overreacting or underreacting,” Davenport said.

While Gov. Roy Cooper made mask-wearing mandatory in public places in North Carolina, many people are also looking at how cases are spiking in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Texas.

“Have you noticed more people wearing it in the last 24 hours? Oh yes. Even just walking down over here I’ve seen everyone with a mask,” resident Tamra Crawford said.

Channel 9 caught up with the Price family off Camden Road in South End. All of them were wearing a mask, but even without the order, Lashay Price said they would have done so because a member of their family contracted COVID-19. The family member has recovered but still feels the lingering effects of the illness.

“So, even with retesting and testing negative, she’s still having issues with breathing,” Price said. “She’s on oxygen. It’s been a battle for her.”

Price takes care of seniors in a nursing facility. That’s another reason she is so careful and hopes others will be too. She said she believes that is the only way to eliminate the risk.

A study in the journal Health Affairs estimates between 230,000 and 450,000 cases were prevented in states that enacted face mask requirements between April 8 and May 15.

They said the daily number of new cases dropped as much as 2% in those states.

The study was limited. It couldn’t measure compliance, and researchers could only look at confirmed cases.

VIDEO: A simple way to make a face mask by anchor Susanna Black VIDEO: A simple way to make a face mask by anchor Susanna Black

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