In late August, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners adopted a mandatory mask mandate for Guilford County – but the question now is when that mandate will end.
This week, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston, who’s the leader of the Democrats on the board who will make the call, said the rule will be in effect as long as it takes.
Guilford County’s mandate makes it illegal to go maskless indoors in public places such as stores, restaurants and theaters, with some very limited exceptions. Alston said this week that he and other county officials are keeping a close watch on the pandemic, and he added that, though the current mandate is officially set to run until early January of next year, the board will assess the situation at that time and, if needed, take action to extend the mandate.
“It depends on the situation at hand,” Alston said. “If the infection rate is high, we will probably continue on.”
“We need to get the vaccinations to go up,” Alston added. “That’s when people don’t spread it.”
The mandate has a Saturday, Jan. 8 expiration date, but the motion adopted in August gives some criteria that could lead to an earlier reevaluation of the rule by the board. Unfortunately, the county isn’t close to meeting those guidelines.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners is the Board of Health in Guilford County. The commissioners took on that responsibility about seven years ago when they voted the former separate health board out of existence.
The mask mandate approved by the commissioners on a 6-to-3 vote became effective at the time of adoption and will remain in effect “until the earlier of: (1) expiration or termination of the Proclamation of a Local Emergency, (2) January 8, 2022 at 5:00 p.m., or (3) modification or revocation by the Guilford County Board of Health.”
The motion that established the mandate also stated, “Further, it is also the Board’s intention to reevaluate this Rule as circumstances change, including if and when the County’s vaccination rate reaches 70% or its positivity rate is at or below 5% for 3 consecutive weeks.”
The pace of vaccinations is slow right now and only 58 percent of county residents have been fully vaccinated. The positivity rate in Guilford County has been bouncing around between 7 percent and 16 percent since the mask mandate was adopted.
If Hollywood celebrities and illegal immigrants are not required to wear masks, then my family and I will not be wearing masks! These county commissioners are some of the biggest hypocrites I have ever seen in my life- especially Dictator Alston!
Alston is just a hack , nothing more nothing less. He is just another fear monger looking for the dead, dumb , and blind to lead around.
This morning while approaching the ENTRANCE to the Walmart on Battleground, I observed an individual coming out of the EXIT without a mask. I mentioned this to the young lady who was just inside the entrance with a box of masks to give to those who forget. She said that many customers, who come in without masks, refuse a mask and put a cussing on her, then go on in without a mask, when she brings it to their attention.
Where are the so-called “Mask Police?” Out of all the places that I go, I’ve seen absolutely no evidence of their existence. Perhaps this was just a threat from the County.
This whole fiasco is so ridiculous. Why bother to have the mandate when it is not enforced?
Good job, Karen! It’s nice to know that we can count on idiots like you to turn us in to our komrade police when we don’t fall in lock step with the new directives.
There are no mask police. If someone wants to be a jerk and shop without a mask, many stores have avoided the nutter / karen conflict issue and let them shop without a mask. Asking low wage employees to put up with nutters and karens all day is not an effective solution. Sadly, asking people to be decent and respectful human beings is not effective in todays political climate. THAT is why this will spread into 2022.
We have the largest supply and resources for supporting vaccinations that would put an end to this in the US but nope. Sadly, public health has been politized here so we will ALL continue to suffer under a pandemic centered life.
Can you provide any scientific evidence that masks work? Top doctors and scientists around the world, backed by solid peer reviewed studies, say masks are ineffective. Additional studies prove masks are typically filthy and promote disease. But that’s science. I find that most mask cultists don’t really care about science while claiming that they do.
Quick google search and you can find plenty of studies. You clearly only search for ‘studies against wearing masks’ I guess. All the studies say the same thing…masks are perfect but they help. Some masks are better than others. They all also consistently say that there is no negative impact from wearing a mask if you follow basic guidelines on cleaning of masks etc….
So stop with the BS that there isn’t science backing the use of masks. You are just pushing more misinformation as the sheep of the conservative shepherds.
So it’s OK to mandate my respect for others and their beliefs, but it’s not OK to expect anyone to respect me and my beliefs? Respect goes both ways.
If these “vaccines” were worth taking, it wouldn’t matter if there were people who didn’t want to take them. The problem is that these “vaccines” are causing more problems than they are fixing. Not only are they causing the variants to emerge, but they are making the vaccinated masses more susceptible to the variants.
The unvaccinated people with natural immunity are better protected against the variants, as their immune systems are “coded”, so to speak, against the genetic signatures of each part of this virus. When one part of it mutates, creating a variant, the immune system can still lock in on the other parts of it that it recognizes. The vaccines only train the immune system for one part of the virus – the spike proteins that are on the outside of the virus. As a defense mechanism against the vaccine, the spike proteins have mutated, rendering the vaccine useless.
Not only are these mRNA vaccines useless, as a result of trying to vaccinate in the middle of a pandemic, but they are causing harm to a lot of people. In cases where the vaccine has entered the blood stream, the mRNA components are causing different parts of the body to manufacture these spike proteins and causing numerous problems such as blood clots, tissue inflamation (including heart muscle tissue), excessive menstrual problems, etc. There are cases of these spike proteins being passed from mothers to their newborn children through the breast milk. Many, many young, healthy people are experiencing health issues such as myocarditis, clots, and partial paralysis due to a vaccine that they didn’t need in the first place.
This pandemic will only end when we, the people, stand up and say “NO MORE!” The politicians and medical bureaucrats will ride this out as long as they can get away with it. NO ONE has the right to tell another person that they have to take an experimental vaccine.
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2021/09/no_author/the-conspiracy-theorists-were-right-it-is-a-poison-death-shot/
Finally got around to reading the Attention Seeking Blogger link you provided. He is repeating mostly old outdated and debunked BS. For example, his claim that the vaccines skipped animal trials is stupid. The peer reviewed articles about testing in both mice and monkeys was heavily covered by reputable reporters and journalists and well documented in peer reviewed articles. But his references the youtube video of a state congressment from Texas talking to a pediatrician (not a research scientist connected to the vaccine research or testing in any way shape or form.
Happy to sit and debunk the rest of his ranting attention seeking blog anytime. But we all know YOU only believe what you WANT to believe versus what is actually true.
You must not go to private religious schools with young kids – that’s the only place I have confirmation of enforcement at all, and it’s regular there. Constant unannounced visits. You know 5 year olds who love Jesus are the real threat! (Eye roll)
In fact, the lengths they are going to in order to keep kids in masks puts the Taliban to shame. This board’s complete hatred of kids, and jealousy of kids in private school (whose parents are still funding the public schools – for now), tends to drive the entirety of their consideration for this mask mandate.
Anyone else notice the draft the night of the vote had an October 29 expiration?
Parents and grandparents who voted for these fools – why do you do hate children? Why are you allowing your personal hatred to overtake your brain and elect people who will simply seek to drive what’s left of the tax base out of the county? Do you realize MANY of us are leaving the county at least weekly to spend money elsewhere? How does your life improve by destroying Guilford county?
What a mean natured county commission. This once was a wonderful place to live but now it’s overrun with mean people who have serious control issues and an odd longing for dystopia.
“We need to get the vaccinations to go up,” Alston added. “That’s when people don’t spread it.”
Or natural immunity???
Also, his #trustthescience is wrong. Vaccinated people can spread the virus. How are these people qualified to be the Board of Health???
What a clown show. I am so glad most sensible are ignoring it, claiming medical exemptions, wearing it below their nose and whatever else they need to do. Masks have NEVER been proven to make a difference, and cloth masks -which are permitted – indeed may make it worse. But since Skip is using junk science on vaccines, why should I be surprised? Even our CDC Director Walensky stated point blank “they do not stop transmission”. The most a vaccine might do is prevent a hospitalization – maybe. So why Skip thinks they are a way out of this is beyond me.
We are going to do this as long as it takes for it to actually work
So once there is herd immunity from natural infection? Or once he’s driven more of the tax base out of the county and destroyed as many business as possible? Or maybe once he’s ensured the next generation is completely socially dysfunctional?
Hard to know what “as long as it takes” means but I’m guessing it would go away tomorrow if somebody handed Alston more cash.
Since masks don’t actually work, that could take forever.
Let me guess you liberals will keep the mask mandates in effect and add wholesale mail-in balloting to get you through another election. You aren’t fooling anyone with your tactics. Bunch of self-righteous people, everyone knows what you are doing.
Hmmm, and when is the next election? Let’s bet the mandate will be lifted just in time for elections.
It’s shameful that Mr Austin & the county commissioners are not focusing on lowering the growing homicide rates in Guilford County instead of raising the vax rate. Critical thinkers will not bow to this tyranny as there are so many inconsistencies. The erroneous 70% rate of vaccination, if met, will be raised to 100% or whatever the usual suspects’ pleasure is at that time. However, the 70% vax rate will not be met because the narrative is collapsing on many fronts. One of which is the Project Veritas video unleashed with a federal HHS whistleblower last night, and more to follow. See for yourself if this is not taken down https://youtu.be/obdI7tgKLtA.
Glad to see the comments of awakened citizens who aren’t folding to the lies, corruption, and over reach of our government. People all over America are taking their towns back from these power hungry tyrants by attending local city council, county commissioner, and school board meetings. But in little ole podunk GSO wanna be metropolis, the elected City Council and County Commissioners will not allow citizens to attend in person meetings because they are afraid. And Covid isn’t what they fear.
Yes, shop elsewhere. Yes, do not wear a mask as they don’t work. Be brave, peacefully Do Not Comply. We do not consent. Live free or die.
“When the people fear the government there is tyranny. When the government fears the people there is liberty.”
Thomas Jefferson
As long as there is a mask mandate in Guilford county I will continue to go to another county to make purchases.
Please do.
Hey Chris, since you are so keen on masks and vaccines why don’t you go down to the east side and give some shots. Least vaccinated in Guilford County.
That’s what I do. I haven’t spent a dime in Guilford County since this nonsense began.
I love how it is now popular for conservatives to shoot themselves in the foot in order to ‘own the libs’. Kinda like FL with over 400 deaths per day still pushing that everyone should pretend like nothing is wrong.
Sad really. But you be sheep to the conservative leaders. I left the party once it became an all or nothing mindset so am now happy to think for myself as an independent.
Right on!
Maybe we should throw the six politicians that voted for the mask mandate into a volcano and see if that helps.
So what if the vaccination rate never reaches 70%? Are we going to wear masks forever. Stupid if you have been vaccinated but then again the Democrats are the decision makers so no surprise.
GOOD! The longer I go without seeing your ugly faces the better! Mask up and shut up!
Jojo – I won’t mask up or shut up…… and I’m not getting vaccinated. You don’t own my body and I am not your slave or subject. Oh, and I leave my house EVERYDAY. Better go hide in your basement!!!
Do you really want to pollute a volcano?
Well I guess the communist democrats really don’t waste a crisis, between the people who are vaccinated and the ones that have had covid we are most likely pass the 70% rate, shut down the border and stop letting unvacanated people in this will be eradicated, just like the other pandemics in the pass.
So sick of people thinking because people are vaccinated they don’t get it or spread it. Skip Alston needs to get informed.
You realize that could be used as an excuse to extend the mandate?
How successful has this mandate been to date? Looking at the data, cases continue to rise in Guilford County since August 13th. If masks worked to stop spread there should be some slowing, right? Even if not everyone complies, logic suggests there should be some positive impact from those that do, yet there is not. If the mandate is based on science, where are community statistics that back that up? I’m looking for actual data, like cases have decreased by X since the mandate went into effect.
Again, it can be twisted to say the reason it didn’t go higher is because of masks.
That would be the flaw in their logic – you can’t count the number of people who didn’t get sick or die. But no one ever picks up on that. They just nod their heads, like good little sheep, and go along with whatever they’re told.
If you can breathe through it, smell through it and if you cannot hold water in it, it will not keep out a virus. Set us free Mastah Skip.
It will end when the people are fed up with you, Skip-the-Hyp. Don’t see you wearing a mask in those counties that don’t require it, Skip-Hyp. I guess you are above us, and it all. Hypocrite.
Our govt is turning us into sheep.
Since my earlier emails to Carly Cooke and Kay Cashion went unanswered, I emailed them both again, this time with supporting documents and links to scientific studies proving masks don’t work and in fact cause harm.
Again, no response. It’s becoming increasingly clear that our commissioners don’t care about our opinions or science. This is about control and appearing to do something useful, pandering to the fearful so they get re-elected.
Every member of this libtard board stopped caring the moment they were announced the winner of the election. They won’t care about anyone again until a few months before the next election scam begins.
Or maybe…just maybe. They do care but have very different thoughts on how to care for the community. Calling others silly names just because they disagree with you is well…..just silly. Just Sayin
If masks don’t work, why have surgical teams worn them for as far back as I can remember and farther?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/does-mask-protect-nobody-else-114131680.html
The reason they wore them was to prevent bacteria from getting in or out, such as surgery. They didn’t want to accidentally spit into their patient’s body or get their blood into their mouth. It’s common sense. Viruses are too small to be blocked by a mask. Sweden never shut down and didn’t require masks or vaccines and they are doing just fine. Places with mask mandates did the worst. Please…no one wears their mask properly and touch it all day long. It blocks oxygen to the brain and you’re sucking in your own CO2 and cycling it back into your system. We were never meant to mask up, otherwise all humans would be dead by now if that was the case. They over exaggerated Covid deaths anyways. Don’t believe the hype about masks. They don’t work and never did. It’s only about control and compliance. Hence why elites don’t wear them when having parties, etc. They know they don’t work. Look up the Spanish flu. They did the same thing and required masks until the public saw the hypocrisy of the elite not wearing them and finally used common sense and said screw it. We won’t either. For them, it’s so as I say, not as I do. Open up your eyes. It’s about control.
If masks work, how come they didn’t work? We are in month 19 of 2 weeks to flatten the curve. Why did Sweden and other Scandinavian countries end Covid restrictions. They got something right and we did not. We will not be out of this until enough people are actually exposed to the virus and build a natural immunity.
Hopefully, we won’t go the way of Australia. Natural immunity and low numbers weren’t good enough for them. With just a few isolated cases, they implemented total lockdowns and went full tilt crazy, turning their police and military into enforcement gestapos, that have no problem literally beating their populace into submission.
We will only be out of this mess when enough people realize that non-compliance is the only way to go.
The motion that established the mandate also stated, “Further, it is also the Board’s intention to reevaluate this Rule as circumstances change, including if and when the County’s vaccination rate reaches 70% or its positivity rate is at or below 5% for 3 consecutive weeks.”
The Eligible Population of Guilford County is now at 73.5%.
Are the Commissioners watching this data https://guilford-covid19-data-guilfordgis.hub.arcgis.com/