WFAE
The Catholic Diocese of Charlotte will no longer require face coverings or social distancing at Mass according to a letter distributed Friday.
The new directive came hours after Gov. Roy Cooper announced he was lifting the face mask mandate in North Carolina and removing capacity and gathering restrictions that have been in place since March 2020.
The Diocese says that beginning May 23, the general dispensation from attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation will be confined to those who remain "vulnerable to the coronavirus." The list of those exempted includes anyone who is 65 or older, pregnant or caring for sick or homebound individuals, among other situations.