‘They Make Me Sick’: Tensions Rise in a North Carolina County Commission Meeting on Lifting Mask Mandate

Advocates for mask optional at a Mecklenburg County Commissioner Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina in February 2022. Courtesy of Brooke Weiss

After a contentious Mecklenburg County Commission meeting in North Carolina, commissioners unanimously voted to lift its mask mandate on Feb. 16, paving the way for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board of Education to follow suit on Feb. 22.

The commissioners voted to lift the mandate on Feb. 26, while the school board voted to end its mandate on March 7.