Guilford County is taking a do-over on its mask mandate.
Last week, Guilford County government issued a mask mandate requiring masks to be worn by all people when indoors at public places. However, due to a legal challenge and other concerns, the county is not enforcing the mandate and county officials are going back to the drawing board.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners is expected to adopt a revised mandate later, one that will go into effect sometime around the start of September.
One problem with the existing mandate adopted by the Board of Commissioners recently, according to Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston, is that it included criminal penalties but didn’t provide the proper amount of required public notice legally required for those penalties to go into effect.
“We will not be enforcing the rule for 10 days – but at the same time, the rule is in place,” Alston said, in a statement that is somewhat confusing.
According to two Guilford County officials, Guilford County was threatened with legal action over the recently implemented mask mandate – and county leaders agreed that the current mandate, which went into effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug.13 – was not acceptable.
Again, Alston stressed that everyone should still wear masks indoors at public places for their own protection and the protection of others, even though there will be no enforcement of the rule until a new one is written and adopted.
“We are going to be revising the ordinance,” Alston said.
The chairman said that county staff met on Monday morning, Aug. 16 and agreed it would be legally prudent not to enforce the mask mandate until a revised ordinance could be put in place by the board.
He said this will give places like restaurants and businesses a chance to adjust. Alston also reiterated that – even though the current ordinance won’t be enforced – masks should still be worn at restaurants, stores, offices and other public establishments since the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is becoming more prevalent.
“It was never our intent to be heavy-handed,” Alston said, adding that the real goal is not to criminalize actions or fine people, but instead to make everyone aware of the need to protect themselves and others from the sometimes deadly virus.
“It was never our intent to be heavy-handed…the real goal is not to criminalize actions or fine people…” except that is literally and exactly what is occurring…what a putz…
I have a suggestion, why not just treat us like adults and tell us you strongly recommend we wear masks and then let each individual decide for themselves!
Let us think for ourselves??
Nah… There are enough people in Greensboro and Guilford county who really don’t want to think for themselves, and want big-daddy government to make all their decisions for them.
If you want to think for yourself, you need to move to another county.
Agreed
Criminal penalties for an arbitrary and capricious mandate without any basis in science seems pretty “Heavy Handed”. We were told if people got vaccinated, the masks would end.
Look at the protests in Montreal and France if you want to see the end game of imposing these mandates for the rest of our lives.
I disagree. This rule by decree is “heavy handed”. Mainly to get people used to getting told how to behave.
There is nothing to refute the fact that nearly all the masks that people use to avoid Covid are worthless. ANY virus is too small to be filtered out by these masks.
Those who are ill with a virus or a bacteria should avoid others. It has always been that way (which doesn’t mean it should have been). The only alternative is just to stay at home 24/7. Does anyone want BB to tell us to do that?
It was never Dr. Skip’s intent to be heavy-handed? Are you kidding me? That simply does not pass the red face test. Democrats love keeping the little people under their thumb.
As noted, the mandate simply had no teeth, much less any legal standing. This is what you get when you have a non-medical narcissist who thinks that only his word is law. It became very apparent that the mandate would not stand the test of time when, as the announcement was made, a City Council member, and attorney, questioned the legality of the mandate, and the County Attorney noted that he had not reviewed the legality and would have to get back to him later. The County Attorney should have been well informed prior to allowing Skippy to make a fool of himself and dictate such a mandate. I suggest that the next mandate will be more of a suggestion rather than a carved in stone demand. Guilford County should not have to spend well earned tax dollars on needless lawsuits.
Isn’t this exactly what Justin Conrad was trying to tell them at the meeting?
Yes, Justin made this point at the meeting.
That like saying all the speed limits and stop signs don’t make driving more safe. Masks do work. They aren’t the cure or only thing you should be doing but they make it more difficult (hey Ash Hats, I didn’t say impossible) for droplets to travel longer distances and reduces the amount of droplets.
But hey, good luck running the red lights on Wendover since you can ignore them because you drive the speed limit. Oh wait, you need to follow all traffic laws to keep yourself AND others safe.
Ash hats ……are you kidding me. If you sneeze in your mask and then breathe in the same particles as your body just tried to get rid of, how is that healthy???
Scientifically it has been proven that masks do not stop the virus. The people of Guilford County are more intelligent than apparently you give us credit.
Allow people to decide how to stay safe. Besides a mandate is not a law!!!
sure the Delta virus is more contagious, but the stats show nobody is dying from it Skip. Follow the science Mr. Chairman, follow the science. I, for one have “zero” faith in the federal government who is “here to help” or the CDC, who plays a different tune about every other week. Use common sense and practice good hygiene. Last bit of opinion here … Resist! Resist! Resist. There are more of us than them!
7% to be exact, voted in our last elections. The turnout this time will show them!!
Guess this kid didn’t received your thoughts and prayers in time. Maybe he wasn’t deeply involved enough with his church’s pastor. Either way, there’s a dead kid you’re ignoring.
https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/Coronavirus-takes-life-of-17-year-old-granville-baseball-player/19828701/
Yes ! Wake up everybody. This is about control not health.
Definitely. We cannot let them maker our decisions for us.
I used to believe that. But between the fascists in charge and their brownshirt supporters, it appears that those who care about personal liberty are in the minority.
I agree. We have common sense. Stay out of our business. Look how many people were shot in Greensboro this week. Need to figure out how to stop that.
What is the recall process for county commissioners? Illegal mandates that threaten not only busness owners but all people that live, work, or travel here are just the beginning of the sloppy and virtue signaling cabal Skip is leading.
These are our “leaders.”
They’re supposed to be your representatives. Maybe they need reminding.
Masks are proven to have no value in preventing transmission of respiratory viruses. Thus the Board of Commissioners is either pig ignorant or has some more devious agenda in mind. Masks mostly signify submission to authority, and help maintain the fear porn that there is a deadly flu going around, and we must all be very afraid and follow our leaders’ ridiculous pronouncements, even when they run exactly counter to the science. Coronaviruses have been around for millions of years, and humanity is still here. How did we ever manage without the help of Big Farma? Thank Heaven (or some lesser god) for Gates, Fauci, and the WHO?
Why do you need to moderate my comment? Do you not believe in free speech? Or are you taking responsibility for the content expressed on your website? Afraid to be canceled for publishing misinformation? Sad.
Oh what perfect NewSpeak by Skippy! He’s out of central casting for 1984.
We don’t want to “be heavy handed” – but we’ll make you a criminal if you dare not obey our face diaper order!
The real goal is not to criminalize actions or fine people…. but we ARE going to criminalize actions and fine people (just as soon as we can!).
This corrupt creep speaks out of both sides of his mouth – simultaneously !
Soooo, it’s okay not to follow the law until someone calls you out? This whole fiasco just told us everything we need to know about the current democratic board of commissioners (uhhh, I mean health or whatever we want to be called on a given day.) If it looks like failure, and it smells like failure, it is a failure. With hordes of attorneys to consult at your beck and call, you still can’t follow the law… telling, not surprising, but telling. Stay tuned for many more liberal appeasement ordinances to follow. I keep waiting for this to be highlighted by Dana Carvey as the church lady on an episode of Church Chat. “My my my, we swung the gavel a little too early didn’t we Skip?”
I was “called out” by a customer in a grocery store Friday morning. After she said very loud “I thought we had a mask mandate” twice in my direction I finally said “it does not start until 5 pm.” The elected officials are turning everyone into mask police.
That’s their intended goal – division and de-moralization.
Look at what Hitler did long before he started loading Jews into the boxcars. He had the rest of the German population hating them first, so that when they started implementing their final solution, everyone was OK with it.
Mask, vaccinations, race, sex, wealth and class – all tools to be used to further divide us.
I’d like to know more about the lawsuit. Also, if Skip only wants to “make everyone aware” then why is a mandate needed? Thanks to whomever filed the lawsuit.
Or whoever… whatever 🙂
Well Skippy!!!! Looks like you have been knocked off your throne. At least it appears that someone in the county knows the laws. As for me I will only wear a mask when I want too, not because the County or any government says I have too!
Since when does Skip Alston know about anything other than pocketing taxpayer money? Masks haven’t protected people from the beginning and they won’t start with a more contagious “variant” that is more easily spread through aerosol transmission. The average IQ of our county commissioners is about 70. That which has failed before will fail again. I’m not isolating myself and covering my face like an Afghan woman, and like so many are tragically learning this week, I learned as a kid not to trust lying government. Go protect yourself from being human Skip. I’ll stick with accepting humans haven’t and won’t control a virus by submissively hiding behind a useless piece of fabric.
Well said, Momof2.
“It was never our intent to be heavy-handed,” Alston said
These people are acting like security guards at a convention center event with a tiny amount of authority and huge ego behind it.
They are laughable. (Not security guards, our council Lords and Ladies.)
Insane to say the least
Keep in mind as you read my post, only 7% of the voting citizens of Greensboro, voted for Mayors race, for the past 3 decades. So 7% of the citizens really run Greensboro.
I just happened to be at K&W Sunday, started talking to the people in line. They are sick of this back and forth. One lady refused to wear her mask. One man said he has the shots, and wondered about taking the third, because he still has to wear a mask. Then the subject of the Swimming Meet being held here in March is still on going, came up in the chat. The people in the stands will be separated, but no one has said a word about the swimmers in the pool. Water knows no lines not to cross, so how are they going to protect the swimmers. They can not…..and it would be canceled like our elections, but it brings in 3 million so the city is fine with it. Alston said “It was never our intent to be heavy-handed”. I say yes it is. How else can you explain it!!!!!
According to two Guilford County officials, Guilford County was threatened with legal action over the recently implemented mask mandate – I know for a fact, I have lived it for almost 40 years now, the City is NOT AFRAID of a LAWSUIT. Ask my long line of lawyers, the city has no fears. So a lawsuit suing the city, is Laugh Out Loud Funny. Must be someone with Soros kind of money, and I still do not believe it. So, who was going to sue, I would really like to know? Who has that much power here to cause the city of Greensboro to jump? Since they have not said they would sue over the Swim Meet if it goes ahead, I said this is just more bull on the cities part.
God gave us all FREEDOM OF WILL, we are Freewill thinkers and adults. We all deserve better than we are getting now from the City of Greensboro. Our canceled elections speaks volumes to me, Summerfield’s Mayor didn’t see a disaster to cause the elections to be delayed. A delayed census report is a shame, but not a disaster as our laws state it must be, to cancel an election.
7% did this and you can correct it, by voting whenever they decide to hold the elections. Hidden agenda as I have said from the start. People better speak at the polls next election, or forever hold your peace. Our time to fight back is coming to an end. This is a fight over our rights as a citizen of the city. I’m Standing, who is standing with me???? These current actions are just a sample of what is to come. I saw this comment last week, from Lawrence Fox who is running for Mayor of London said, ” Police our streets, not our tweets”. A short poke and so much said in so few words. In just 6 words, you know exactly where I STAND. The only thing I know for sure right now is this, come our next election more people will be voting in Greensboro, the turnout will be amazing. We are sick of this mess!!!!!!!
Kay you need to go back to Civics class. Skip and the commissioners have nothing to do with the mayor and city council
Kay, I’m standing with you. And just so all of you know, they are LYING about the numbers increasing. I had to go to Moses Cone ER about a month ago for a gall stone. The waiting room was packed, but no one was in their special covid waiting room. Not one person. So stop believing what they say because they are liars and the government as a whole is corrupt.
You’re right Kay, God gave us the ability to think for ourselves – but very few people use it.
And Laurence Fox is one of the good guys. He’s trying to start a genuinely conservative political party in Britain. The so called Conservative Party embodies the values of the soft left.
For those of you not wearing masks, are you at least getting vaccinated? Without doing either, how are we supposed to protect ourselves as the number of deaths continues to rise? Are we just supposed to keep living like normal and hope for the best? I don’t want to hide away at home, but playing the odds is not comforting either. I am thinking about getting the vaccine even without it being fully approved. Someone told me that Trump got so it must be safe.
Younger people ARE dying, not just old ones who had some other issues going on. https://www.wral.com/virus-claims-more-young-victims-as-deaths-climb-yet-again/19826276/
What to do?
In the words of the late, great Walter Williams, “Compassionate policy requires dispassionate analysis.” The statistics in that article were clearly cherry-picked to build a slanted narrative. Where are the raw numbers? More often than not, therein lies the lead to actually compassionate solutions. The converse, responding to narrative with little facts, is often “…the mercy of the wicked is cruel.”