Starting Friday, the city of Raleigh will require face-coverings in public spaces while social distancing.
In a proclamation issued Wednesday, Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin amended her state of emergency to include the requirement beginning Friday at 4 p.m.
Additionally, all restaurant, personal care, grooming, tattoo and retail employees and staff members must wear face coverings while working.
While there may not be enforced punishments or fines, Baldwin hopes that the city looks at this as an opportunity for voluntary compliance and opportunities for education.
"The message I want to send is: You are not wearing a face mask for yourself, you're wearing it to protect others," Baldwin explained.
During an afternoon news conference, Baldwin detailed her own experience of seeing people without their masks in public while she was grocery shopping. She noted that some of the people not wearing masks looked to be in their 70s who are identified as being a-risk by the CDC.
The ordinance comes into effect a week after large crowds gathered along Glenwood South as the city loosened outdoor seating restrictions to benefit businesses.
In an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, WakeMed Hospital reached out to the city of Raleigh to aid in distributing 10,000 masks to the 27610 zip code (Southeast Raleigh, closer to Knightdale). According to Baldwin, that area is where the city has observed the highest numbers of cases.
Here's more from our news partner WTVD ABC11: