WINSTON-SALEM — The YMCA of Northwest North Carolina will no longer require face coverings for members who have been fully vaccinated, following Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order on Friday.
The change will go into effect immediately at the Y. Face coverings at childcare and camp settings at the Y are still required by the recent update.
The governor’s executive order comes as the Centers for Disease Control announced Thursday that anyone who is fully vaccinated does not need to wear a face covering indoors.
Stan Law, President and CEO of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina, shared the following statement regarding executive order:
“With the governor’s latest announcement, people who are fully vaccinated will no longer need to wear a mask while exercising indoors at the Y. We strongly encourage those who are not vaccinated to continue wearing a face covering and physically distancing. There’s no better time to take care of our neighbors as we exhibit our core values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility and faith.”
Fully vaccinated members are still welcome to wear face coverings at the Y.
Childcare and camp settings still require face coverings indoors for Y employees and participants ages 5 years and older — with the exception of medical reasons as detailed in the previous executive orders. This will apply to KidsZone, as well as Summer Exploration Academy and Before and After School Academy while children and staff are indoors.
The Y will continue deep cleaning and sanitation practices to ensure the health and safety of its staff, members and the community.
“As the Governor stated today, the fight against COVID-19 is not over yet,” said Law. “We will continue to do our part in keeping everyone safe as we’ve done throughout this pandemic.”