NC eases mask mandate, but some Charlotte businesses aren’t ready to relax policy

Charlotte residents have a lot to smile about — and for the first time in more than a year, those facial expressions won’t need to be obscured by a mask.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday lifted most mask mandates, effective immediately, signaling an accelerated path to pre-pandemic “normal.“ All gathering limits and social distancing requirements also have been lifted, Cooper said.

But at a jubilant press briefing, Cooper also sounded a note of caution as North Carolinians continue to contract the coronavirus and die from COVID-19 complications each day.

“The pandemic is still here, especially for those who are not vaccinated...” Cooper said. “Get vaccinated now. If you don’t listen to me, listen to your doctor and do what your doctor tells you.”

Masks are still required on public transit, as well as at child care centers, schools, prisons and public health settings, Cooper said.

Local governments can enact tougher health protocols, Cooper said. But in Mecklenburg County, health officials have closely followed the governor’s lead and CDC guidance.

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Cooper’s new order follows guidance issued Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on more data underscoring just how effective COVID-19 vaccines are at preventing severe illness and virus spread. Fully vaccinated people can gather indoors and outdoors without coronavirus safeguards, like social distancing and mask wearing, according to the CDC.

Cooper said he looked forward to going into establishments, including grocery stores, without a mask on.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, through a city spokesman, said she too would feel comfortable going into a supermarket without donning a mask — so long as the business doesn’t have its own requirement.

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NC vaccination goal

People who are not vaccinated should still wear a mask at indoor public settings, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Everyone should still plan to wear masks in crowded settings, she said.

The mask update comes as more than 40% of all North Carolina residents are at least partially vaccinated, and nearly 36% are fully vaccinated, N.C. DHHS reported Thursday. Cohen said she’s confident the state will reach its goal of getting two-thirds of all residents immunized.

In the Charlotte area, just over 36% of Mecklenburg County residents are fully vaccinated against the virus as of late Thursday according to N.C. DHHS data.

Still, not all Charlotte-area businesses are ready to abandon face coverings just yet. In fact, one club wants proof of vaccination.

In order to shed the mask at Fire House or Recess nightclubs in Charlotte, customers will be required to show proof of vaccination, co-owner Clarence Boston told The Charlotte Observer on Friday before the news conference.

“It will be checked like an ID,” he said.

The businesses also will continue to require employees to wear masks.

“COVID is still there,” Boston said. “It’s not over.”

On the other hand, Trader Joe’s became the first major retailer on Friday to allow vaccinated customers to go unmasked in its stores, although workers still will be required to wear one, McClatchy reported. Walmart and Costco dropped their mask rules Friday evening.

Here’s what to expect at other Charlotte-area businesses:

‘Waiting for the smoke to clear’

“I’m going to keep it up until the smoke clears,” Edwin Llerena said Friday morning of his sign mandating masks be worn in his Edwin’s Hair Studio in downtown Statesville. “I just want to make sure everyone feels comfortable. Some people don’t feel safe if they see others without a mask on.”

Llerena said after Cooper’s original order took effect last year, he would tell maskless customers to put one on. A few balked, telling him they had a constitutional right not to wear one.

He no longer tells them to do so because so many people have been vaccinated, he said, including himself.

Keep mask on at Harris Teeter

As of Friday, Harris Teeter grocery stores will continue to require employees and customers to wear masks, company spokeswoman Danna Robinson told the Observer.

She said the Matthews-based company is reviewing its current safety protocols, the latest guidelines and asking for feedback from workers “to guide the next phase of our policy.”

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‘How do you prove it?’

Destinee Jacobs, a receptionist at No Grease! Exclusive on East Trade Street in uptown Charlotte, said she’ll continue to not allow patrons who show up at the barbershop without a mask.

“How do you prove it?” she said of someone who tells her they received the vaccine.

Jacobs said she doesn’t’ expect the owners to relax the policy anytime soon with so many people still unvaccinated.

Mask rules at malls

Some local malls also will continue to require masks.

Simon, which is the mall property owner for SouthPark, Concord Mills and Charlotte Premium Outlets, said Friday it will require employees, retail employees and shoppers to wear masks.

Free face coverings also are available upon request.

‘Welcome back’ at Carowinds

Carowinds theme park, which is holding its “Welcome Back Weekend” for season passholders Saturday and Sunday, wants people to wear face coverings indoors unless eating or drinking, and outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained.

Cedar Fair, the parent company of Carowinds, said it is evaluating the CDC and other state mask guideline updates to consider changes at parks.

“We will continue to encourage our guests to comply with state and local jurisdictions,” the company said in a statement to the Observer on Friday.

Carowinds will officially open to the public May 22.

‘Take off your masks’

Rare Roots Hospitality group — which includes restaurants Fin & Fino, Dressler’s, Birkdale, Dogwood and The Porter’s House — will follow the new mask guidelines for staff and customers, owner Jon Dressler said before Cooper’s news conference.

With each restriction lifting, more people getting vaccinated and the warmer weather, Dressler said business is picking up.

“It’s very encouraging,” he said of Friday’s update.

Dressler said about 90% of his staff is vaccinated, and as long as they are fully vaccinated, “you can take off your masks.”

With capacity limits lifted, Dressler said his restaurants will slowly add more tables to dining rooms, partly because of the worker shortage affecting some businesses nationwide.

“We’ll probably ease back to full operations, for our and guests’ comfort,” he said.

‘It’s pretty exciting’

At Lil Robert’s Place on Union Street in Concord, manager Mel Essex happily took down signs requiring people to wear masks upon entry.

Essex said while customers won’t be required to wear masks, staff will.

“I feel like customers will be more comfortable if we continue to wear them,” she said.

She said the staff of seven part-time employees also is ready to serve at full capacity, which is about 115.

“Being a small place, capacity limits have been tough on us,” she said. “It’s pretty exciting.”

YMCAs removing mask signs

In response to Cooper’s announcement, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte will no longer require masks in its health and wellness spaces and is removing signs referencing mask restrictions, spokeswoman Heather Briganti said.

“We are asking that individuals who have not been vaccinated, as well as those who wish to wear a mask as a personal safety measure, continue to wear a mask,” she said.

The YMCA will maintain the “stringent cleaning and sanitizing measures” in place since it reopened last fall, Briganti said..

Masks will still be required for indoor youth programming and child care, she said.

‘Sort of saw this coming’

F45 Training Plaza Midwood will keep its sign that requires anyone who enters the facility to wear a mask and will continue to enforce the policy, owner Jon Sayer said after Cooper’s announcement.

“We sort of saw this coming,” he said. “We have a list of vaccinated members and will allow the members to work out without masks.”

Its mask mandate “has been extremely difficult for business,” Sayer said. “People do not want to wear masks while working out. People walk away ... We enforce it, but other gyms don’t — three-fourths in town don’t.

“We were looking for leniency, and this is a step in the right direction,” Sayer said of Cooper’s announcement.

Cooper’s announcement was “great news” to Finley Funsten, general manager and co-owner of the two Charlotte locations of Charlotte-based MADabolic. The announcement “leaves us feeling very optimistic for what the near future brings,” she said.

MADabolic has lifted its mask mandate “but still encourages non-vaccinated individuals to wear their masks,” Funsten said.

‘Good news’

Cooper’s decision is welcome news to some Charlotte-area businesses.

“That’s good news. I hope he’s going to align with the CDC to make everyone’s life a little easier,” said Doug Bell, managing partner of RoCo Holdings restaurant group before Cooper’s press conference.

RoCo Holdings includes The Roasting Company on Montford Drive, Plaza Midwood and Rock Hill, Eddie’s Place and Providence Road Sundries.

“Employees will continue to wear masks but I’ll leave it up to customers to self police themselves,” Bell said.

Bell said the majority of his roughly 100 employees have been vaccinated. Anyone who has not been will be required to keep wearing a mask.

Continuing to require workers to mask, Bell said, helps customers feel better, for now until everyone gets adjusted to the new requirement.

“I think we’re all ready to get back to normal,” he said.

‘Great sign’ for music venues

“It’s a good day,” Joe Kuhlmann, founder and co-owner of The Evening Muse said of Cooper allowing 100% capacity.

Yet “there is apprehension” regarding the issue of masks, Kuhlmann said. His venue will continue to require masks until he can discuss the issue further with his staff and the artists performing there, he said.

“How do we continue to be safe?” he said. “We want our guests and artists to feel safe and welcome.”

Cooper’s announcement was a “great sign for us, for venues in greater Charlotte and all of North Carolina,” said Gregg McCraw, owner of MaxxMusic which operates the Neighborhood Theatre.

His venue has been closed for “a year, 2 months and seven days, as of today, not that I’m counting days,” he said. Now, the theater plans a June 17 grand reopening featuring Graham Sharp, chief songwriter and a founding member of the Grammy-winning Americana group Steep Canyon Rangers. And it will host some local performers in the weeks before that, he said.

“It’s happy news for us,” McCraw said of Cooper’s announcement.