An indoor mask requirement will be returning in Buncombe County. County board chair Brownie Newman said in a social media post Thursday that commissioners will vote on the measure at their next meeting this coming Tuesday. Newman added he’s spoken with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and the city will align its policies with the county's. Newman says the reinstatement of requiring masks indoors at public facilities and businesses is due to the rapid rise of COVID-19 infections, which have more than doubled in the past two weeks in Buncombe County due to the Delta variant. The current rate of incidence of new cases is 7.4% according to county health officials. Three weeks ago, it was 3.4%.
Just over 8% of in-patient hospital beds in the Buncombe County are dedicated to COVID-19 patients, but that number is expected to rise as it’s considered a lagging indicator of the virus’ spread. Vaccination rates have improved in the county over the past week, as 61% of the total population has received at least one vaccine shot, and 58% are totally vaccinated. Those rates were 55% and 53% respectively last week. They remain the highest vaccination rates in Western North Carolina.
Residents can receive a vaccine for free and without making an appointment Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the Buncombe County Health Department Building at 40 Coxe Avenue in Asheville.