As those with an interest in Boone and the High Country community, we urge the Mayor and Boone Town Council to put an end to the local indoor mask mandate.

The mandate has created an adversarial relationship between many businesses and customers and has been unequally applied since its inception based on services provided (restaurants vs retail stores) as well as the chosen approach of enforcement/non-enforcement by owners, management, and staff. Further, holding to a continuing mandate unnecessarily invites increased tension, frustration and toxicity.

We advocate for mask policy to be eliminated in its current form and officially allowing for individual choice.