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Is Mecklenburg County's indoor mask mandate being enforced?

You don't have to go far to see people breaking the rules. So, why have a mask mandate if there aren't enforceable consequences? We went searching for answers.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County health officials say their indoor mask mandate is more crucial than ever with rising cases, the omicron variant in town, and holiday travel. But what's being done to enforce the mandate? 

Mecklenburg County Health Department Deputy Director Dr. Raynard Washington said from the beginning, it was going to be hard to enforce. 

"We have not implemented any enforcement measures," he said. 

If you walk into businesses around the county you'll quickly see some people not following the rules and some businesses not quick to enforce the mandate. 

"It's about protecting the health of each other," Washington said. 

An ambassador's program used to be the first to respond to complaints. 

In an email, Health Director Gibbie Harris said the program was disbanded once the governor's statewide mask mandate was removed.

Washington said the once part-time ambassadors are now full-time workers in the department's COVID-19 response team. They are trained to respond and help educate businesses that are not in compliance. 

Since the mandate was reinstated at the end of August, the health department said it's received 356 complaints on businesses not following the rule. 

RELATED: Despite little enforcement, Mecklenburg County's mask mandate continues

According to Washington, 140 of them have been complaints regarding private schools. 

He said a majority of business owners comply after a health educator talks with them about the mandate and offers help to get into compliance. 

The health department said they've followed up and visited 19 businesses in-person since the mask mandate was reinstated. 

Still, what's to keep that business from not enforcing it once health educators pay them a visit?

"They do go back," Washington said. "They drop back off at places to see how things are going, if they have any issues, and they do follow up as much as possible."

However, much of the responsibility seems to weigh on businesses. 

At restaurants like Queen City Craft and Gourmet, owner Charles Read says it shouldn't fall on businesses to enforce and he has no desire to tell his staff to verbally enforce it. 

"I'm not going to have my 16-year-old host confront a 45-year-old man because he's not wearing a mask to walk 15 feet to a bar to sit down and take his mask off," Read said. 

Washington disagrees and says there's a mutual responsibility for the health of the community. 

"We don't want our businesses to be the sources of super-spreader events or the source of transmission, which is the alternative here," Washington said. 

Although no citations have been given to businesses since the mandate was reinstated, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, technically you can be fined. 

The mandate document cites those who break the rule could face a misdemeanor. 

If you'd like to report a business out of compliance, you can call the COVID-19 hotline at 980-314-9400 and choose option three.  

To remove the mask mandate in Mecklenburg County, the county wants to see a positivity rate below 5% for seven consecutive days. Currently, the positivity rate is around 8%.  

Contact Hunter Sáenz at hsaenz@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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