Outer Banks leaders mandate face masks in Dare County

Kari Pugh photo

Dare County officials met Friday afternoon and have updated the Emergency Declaration for COVID-19 to include a mandate that face coverings be worn in indoor and outdoor public spaces where social distancing cannot be maintained.

The measure becomes effective Sunday, June 21 at 9 a.m. To view the full order, click here.

The updated declaration covers all areas of Dare County including the towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Manteo and the unincorporated areas of Dare County, including Hatteras Island and the Dare mainland.

This decision comes following discussion by officials regarding the current state guidelines that strongly encourage face coverings. Voluntary compliance with face covering recommendations has not been effective within Dare County and local business owners have requested a stronger tool for compliance, Dare officials said in a news release.

Dare County has seen an increase in of 12 COVID-19 cases in the past week, and a total of 44 since testing began in March.

Ten of the 44 cases are 10 of which are considered active (nine are residents and one is a non-resident). Since the last Dare County DHHS Update issued, Tuesday, June 16, 2020 there have been two new positive cases.

Both of the new cases are non-residents and females aged 18-24. One is symptomatic and returned to their county of permanent residence. This individual acquired the virus from direct contact with a non-resident who we reported on last week who was positive. The second positive case is asymptomatic and is isolating in Dare County. The individual acquired the virus from direct contact when outside of Dare County.

In mandating the face mask rule, Dare County said there are some exceptions, including for those dining in a restaurant, for reasons related to medical or behavioral conditions, and for children under the age of 12. The complete list of exceptions is available here.

“Wearing a face covering or mask in public when unable to social distance is crucial to maintaining the health and safety of the Outer Banks community,” officials said in a news release. “Keep in mind that there may be justifiable reasons some individuals are not wearing a mask or cloth face-covering in public. Please be kind, show compassion, and wear your mask to protect those who can’t.”

For more information on cloth face coverings and frequently asked questions on the response to COVID-19 in Dare County, please visit DareNC.com/COVID19.

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