Durham, NC, to require everyone to wear masks indoors | Durham Herald Sun 8/9/21, 11(26 AM SECTIONS DURHAM COUNTY Durham joins other NC cities, counties in requiring masks in all indoor settings BY JULIAN SHEN-BERRO UPDATED AUGUST 09, 2021 08:55 AM ! " # $ $ The Delta variant, which is more contagious than other strains, makes up most of North Carolina’s COVID-19 cases. DHHS says vaccinations can protect you from hospitalization and death and help stop how quickly severe cases are risinG in the state. BY NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Only have a minute? Listen instead -03:44 Powered by Trinity Audio Durham County and city officials announced a new state of emergency, to begin Monday, that requires everyone to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Though there are specific exemptions, the mandate applies to everyone age 5 and older. The news comes as North Carolina sees a rising number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and tests returning positive, mostly due to the delta variant spreading among people who have not been vaccinated. TOP ARTICLES https://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article253348598.html Page 1 oF 7 Durham, NC, to require everyone to wear masks indoors | Durham Herald Sun 8/9/21, 11(26 AM Hispanic people more likely to die at home from COVID-19 in North Carolina Several other cities and towns across North Carolina have declared states of emergency and imposed similar requirements. In the town of Boone in Watauga County, a state of emergency that takes effect Tuesday evening requires everyone age 2 and older to wear masks, The Charlotte Observer reported. ‘Top Chef’ star plans comeback Here are Katsuji Tanabe's plans for new restaurant, A’Verde Cocina & Tequila Library. READ MORE Winston-Salem is under a state of emergency that requires masks in all city government buildings. Though they didn’t declare a state of emergency, masks are also required in all Wake County and Raleigh city-owned buildings, regardless of vaccination status, The News & Observer reported. And on Sunday, Raleigh City Council Member Jonathan Melton said in a tweet that he has tested positive for the virus despite being vaccinated. He did not say if he has been wearing a mask. https://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article253348598.html Page 2 oF 7 Durham, NC, to require everyone to wear masks indoors | Durham Herald Sun 8/9/21, 11(26 AM Jonathan Melton @melton4raleigh Days ago, I tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated. Iʼm isolating at home. My symptoms are mild and doctor said unlikely to worsen because of the vaccine. Iʼm glad I got my shot. Please get vaccinated and encourage others too. #ralpol Get Your COVID-19 Shot! Wake County Public Health encourages everyone ages 12 and older to get a COVID-19 vaccine! wakegov.com 9I29 AM · Aug 8, 2021 84 See the latest COVID-19 information on Twitter In Orange County, masks are required of visitors and employees in public buildings. Chapel Hill never lifted its requirement that employees and the general public wear masks inside public buildings, The N&O reported. Thank you for supporting local journalism Your subscription allows us to provide our readers with quality, relevant journalism that makes a difference. We believe a platform for sharinG local news is critical to our community – and we're Glad you think so, too. Have questions about your subscription? We're happy to help. Contact us These measures follow warnings from health experts that the more contagious strain of the virus is spreading rapidly throughout the state. $ The Delta variant now makes up more than 93% of all new COVID-19 cases as it continues to spread across the country. Here's how to slow the spread. BY DAVID CARACCIO # | CLEVELAND CLINIC https://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article253348598.html Page 3 oF 7 Durham, NC, to require everyone to wear masks indoors | Durham Herald Sun 8/9/21, 11(26 AM The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have advised everyone who is unvaccinated to wear masks indoors. For those who are vaccinated, the CDC recommends masks in areas of substantial or high transmission. As of Friday, that included nearly every county in the state, according to CDC data. In Durham, there have been 671 new cases of the virus over the past 14 days. The county has seen a total of 241 deaths from the virus. As of Wednesday, 5.1% of tests in Durham were returning positive. That’s slightly higher than the state’s 5% target, but still lower than North Carolina as a whole, which has saw a daily positive rate of 10.6% on Friday. In the county, 61% of the population is at least partially vaccinated against the virus, while 57% are fully vaccinated. In a statement accompanying the news Saturday, Durham Mayor Steve Schewel encouraged residents to get vaccinated. “It is unfortunate we are in this situation, but the delta variant is extremely dangerous,” he said. “Our local cases have grown exponentially over the last weeks and instituting a mask mandate is once again necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect yourself and our vulnerable neighbors.” The state of emergency takes effect at 5 p.m. Monday. Here’s where you need to wear a mask in Durham, and who is exempt from the mandate: Face coverings must be worn in any indoor public place, business or establishment. Exemptions are in place for those with medical and behavioral conditions or disabilities, including those that cause difficulties breathing or putting on a mask without assistance. Children under 5 years old do not need to wear face coverings. Children are also exempt if their parent or guardian has been unable to safely place a mask on their face. People working at home or in their own vehicles do not need to wear masks. Masks can be temporarily removed when actively eat or drinking, or for identification purposes in government or medical services. Exemptions are also provided for those having conversations with people who are hearing-impaired and require that the mouth be visible. Those giving speeches or performances who are at least 20 feet away from the audience (or 10 feet away, if vaccinated). There are some workplace safety and vehicle or equipment operation exemptions as well. For more information, see the full declaration here. RELATED STORIES FROM DURHAM HERALD SUN https://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article253348598.html Page 4 oF 7 COVID vaccine doses to be thrown out if not used in Wake, NC | Raleigh News & Observer 8/9/21, 11(22 AM SECTIONS SUBSCRIBE CORONAVIRUS Triangle health departments hustle to use COVID vaccines before they expire BY PRIYA DAMES UPDATED AUGUST 09, 2021 10:36 AM ! " # $ $ The Delta variant, which is more contagious than other strains, makes up most of North Carolina’s COVID-19 cases. DHHS says vaccinations can protect you from hospitalization and death and help stop how quickly severe cases are risinG in the state. BY NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Only have a minute? Listen instead -03:27 Powered by Trinity Audio When coronavirus vaccines arrived early this year, lots of North Carolinians did whatever it took to get the shots. They drove hundreds of miles, joined random lines in pharmacies and searched online late into the night for appointments slots. By mid-April, however, things changed. Demand dropped dramatically. Now, county health departments in the Triangle are left with a potential surplus of vaccines, with https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article253293793.html Page 1 of 7 COVID vaccine doses to be thrown out if not used in Wake, NC | Raleigh News & Observer 8/9/21, 11(22 AM thousands set to expire by the end of this month. “Gone are the days of people beating down the doors, all but demanding the vaccine,” said Rodney Jenkins, Durham County’s health director. TOP ARTICLES Demand for vaccines is rising again, according to N.C. Department of Health and Human Services data. This may be due to fear of the rise of the more contagious delta variant, said Wake County Public Health communications manager Stacy Beard. What’s not clear is whether this will help local health departments use all the vaccine doses they have on hand before some expire, a risk that is occurring nationally. The Sound of Judgment A battle for racial justice in NC confronts bloody past, uncertain future READ MORE VACCINES DON’T LAST FOREVER Different types of vaccines remain viable for different periods of time. The Food and Drug Administration recently extended the shelf life of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by six weeks, for example. That prolonged Wake County’s deadline to use 2,100 doses to Sept. 21. But Wake County had 4,000 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses set to expire by Aug. 31, https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article253293793.html Page 2 of 7 COVID vaccine doses to be thrown out if not used in Wake, NC | Raleigh News & Observer 8/9/21, 11(22 AM as of Aug. 6, officials there said. Durham County had 1,278 Pfizer vaccine doses that must be used by Aug. 31, as of Aug. 5, officials there said. The county health department also had 425 Johnson & Johnson doses set to expire on Sept. 21. Orange County had 150 Pfizer vaccine doses scheduled to expire on Aug. 31 as of Aug.