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2 <br /> Roll call ensued <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> Chair Price dispensed with reading the public charge. <br /> Public Charge: The Board of Commissioners pledges its respect to all present. The Board <br /> asks those attending this meeting to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous manner <br /> toward each other, county staff and the commissioners. At any time should a member of the <br /> Board or the public fail to observe this charge, the Chair will take steps to restore order and <br /> decorum. Should it become impossible to restore order and continue the meeting, the Chair will <br /> recess the meeting until such time that a genuine commitment to this public charge is observed. <br /> The BOCC asks that all electronic devices such as cell phones, pagers, and computers should <br /> please be turned off or set to silent/vibrate. Please be kind to everyone. <br /> Arts Moment— No Arts Moment was available for this meeting. <br /> 2. Public Comments <br /> a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda <br /> Christian Kenna voiced his opposition to the standing face covering mandate within <br /> indoor public settings, including private businesses. He said he believes the decision to <br /> institute the mandate was not made based on medical evidence and fact. He said <br /> Commissioner Price told him the Commissioners consulted with the Orange County Health <br /> Director and the Mayors of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough in making the decision. He <br /> said the medical director is an advisor and should not be in a position to make decisions that <br /> elected officials are accountable for making themselves. He said the decision was made by 6 <br /> commissioners and 3 mayors who are all Democrats, and said the decision making process <br /> was not one of due diligence, but rather groupthink. He said he would like to see the <br /> Commissioners seek the input of others in the community, and is here to give his perspective. <br /> He said wearing a mask has become a political issue across America. He said he hoped the <br /> Commissioners would have sought out medical studies that show masks provide measurable <br /> evidence in reducing the transmission of disease rather than blindly following the political <br /> legions. He said there has been no medical study that has proven that masks meaningfully <br /> reduced the spread of COVID, so why impose such a requirement. He said the mask is a <br /> symbol of county government doing something that everyone can see. He said there has not <br /> been a COVID death in Orange County since May 14 when the Governor lifted the statewide <br /> restrictions and mask mandate. He said the County's current average case county is 459 per <br /> 100,000, which is less than half a percent occurrence rate. He said Orange County also has <br /> the highest vaccination rate in the entire state at 80%. He said the Commissioners should <br /> commend and reward residents for this accomplishment and not impose mask mandates like <br /> other counties that have far less vaccination rates success. He said it is important to realize <br /> that Covid is here to stay and thinking must shift to it being like the annual flue. He said it is not <br /> realistic to endure facemasks and gathering limits with no foreseeable end date. He said <br /> Orange County residents need real leadership from Commissioners, not simply falling in line <br /> with what all the other counties are doing. He said the Commissioner should immediately end <br /> the mask mandate for all. <br />