CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Saturday, the Mecklenburg County mask mandate will officially be dropped. This signals a new phase of the pandemic as many people look to put COVID-19 in the rearview mirror. But not everyone has that choice.
Doctors say this is a shift to a time when people take a more individualized approach to protection, assessing personal risk in certain situations and acting accordingly. But people who are immunocompromised don’t necessarily have the same choice.
It’s Nilda Navedo’s attempt at a “new normal,” in a room full of maskless faces, she’ll keep hers on.
“It’s still very hard for me because I still have to protect myself,” Navedo told WCNC Charlotte.
She has sickle cell anemia and pulmonary hypertension, putting her at high risk. She’s spent the bulk of the last two years in her house, transforming it into a movie theater, yoga or cycling studio, completely readjusting her life.
She spoke to WCNC Charlotte in March 2021 when she struggled to get a vaccine appointment. The community was able to help her get her shots quicker.
Navedo isn’t sure she’d be able to survive COVID-19. While most try to move on, it’s not safe for her to let her guard down.
“If you want to be in my home without a mask, then you need to be tested and if we are to eat or spend some time in the same space, it’s a test,” she said.
Navedo often relies on oxygen. She went to a restaurant for the first time this past weekend and said most people weren’t wearing masks when they were walking around.
The county-wide mandate will be lifted on Saturday and she’s concerned she’ll be even more unsafe then.
“I know there is a sense of, 'Yes, this is finally coming to an end,' but now I feel it’s riskier for me to be out because there is not protection,” she said. “So yes, I’m protecting myself but at the same time it’s a nervous feeling.”
Navedo is asking people to be mindful of others who may not be as safe without the protection of a mask.
Even with this change, doctors say people shouldn’t throw their masks away. There may be future surges where they are needed again.
As a reminder, businesses have the right to require masks if they want to.