Some in North Carolina choose to still wear masks despite lifted restrictions

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Raleigh woman Kira Kroboth feels it's too soon to ditch the masks.

She and her husband have three boys.

"We all have an autoimmune disease, and then one of mine has an airway abnormality," Kroboth said. "And so even just pollen can set him off with some pretty severe side effects. I'm not risking him getting this. So I feel like we're locked back in the house again."

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper lifted the majority of the mask mandate after the CDC's guidance that fully vaccinated people can go maskless indoors, with few exceptions.

Only about one-third of the country is fully vaccinated and children under 12 can't get their COVID-19 vaccines yet.

"I feel like we are now trusting people who are saying they're vaccinated that may not actually be vaccinated and that are going around without masks and if you throw children into that mix, then, my child is at higher risk for getting infected," Kroboth said.

"If people don't have masks, the germs can spread," said Kroboth's third grade son, Elias.

"It really hurts that .. the government and people are actually doing this because it kind of keeps us all exposed.. put like my brothers and things in danger," said Kroboth's fifth grade son, Asher. "And it kind of just, it's just really not cool."

Some parents at Pullen Park in Raleigh still chose to wear their masks on Monday while others went maskless.

"I think it's an amazing thing," said Dedrick McAdams, who has two young children, about not having to wear a mask. "Especially being that North Carolina is getting hot and the humidity here is crazy. I mean we're surrounded by water. It feels really, really good to be able to step out, bring my children out to the park and be able to enjoy that."

"We're so excited," said Christina Nielsen, of Raleigh, who has two young children. "We're ready to get back to normal and this is just one step closer."

Daryl Ricketts, of Morrisville, has a 1-year-old daughter Yumi. The dental hygienist said he plans to keep wearing his mask in public, even outdoors.

"Sometimes I double up.. because I'm in the healthcare field," he said. "I'm just so aware of it. I know that viruses don't just disappear."

Children in North Carolina must still wear masks in schools, childcare centers and camps.