MARCH 27, 2020
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 121
STAY AT HOME ORDER AND STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS FOR NORTH CAROLINA IN RESPONSE TO INCREASING COVID-19 CASES
WHEREAS, on March 10, 2020, the undersigned issued Executive Order No. 11 6 which declared a State of Emergency to coordinate the State’s response and protective actions to address the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency and to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of residents and visitors located in North Carolina (“Declaration of a State of Emergency”); and
WHEREAS, on March 11 , 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic; and
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic of suffi ient severity and magnitude to warrant an emergency declaration for all states, tribes, te1Titories, and the District of Columbia pursuant to Section 501 (b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121-5207 (the “Stafford Act”); and
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States pursuant to Sections 201 and 301 of the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. § 1601 , el seq. and consistent with Section 1135 of the Social Security Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 1320b-5), declared that the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States constitutes a national emergency, retroactive to March l,2020; and
WHEREAS, the undersigned has issued Executive Order Nos. 117 – 120 for the purposes of protecting the health, safety and welfare of the people of North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, on March 25, 2020, the President of the United States, pursuant to Section 401 of the Stafford Act, approved a Major Disaster Declaration, FEMA-4487-DR, for the State of North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, on March 27, 2020, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (“NCDHHS”) has documented 763 cases of COVID-19 across 60 counties, and has identified the occurrence of widespread community transmission of the virus; and
WHEREAS, hospital administrators and health care providers have expressed concerns that unless the spread of COVID-19 is limited, existing health care facilities may be insufficient to care for those who become sick; and
WHEREAS, to mitigate community spread of COVID-19 and to reduce the burden on the state’s health care providers and facilities, it is necessary to limit unnecessary person-to-person contact in workplaces and communities; and
WHEREAS, such limitations on person-to-person contact are reasonably necessary to address the public health risk posed by COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, some areas of the state have seen more rapid and significant spread of COVID-19 than others, and some but not all local authorities have taken steps to address community spread of the illness in their communities; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166A-19.30(c)(i), the undersigned has determined that local control of the emergency is insufficient to assure adequate protection for lives and property of North Carolinians because needed control cannot be imposed locally because not all local authorities have enacted such appropriate ordinances or issued such appropriate declarations restricting the operation of businesses and limiting person-to-person contact in workplaces and communities; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166A-19.30(c)(ii), the undersigned has determined that local control of the emergency is insufficient to assure adequate protection for lives and property of North Carolinians because some but not all local authorities have taken implementing steps under such ordinances or declarations, if issued, in order to effectuate control over the emergency that has arisen; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166A-19.30(c)(iii), the undersigned has determined that local control of the emergency is insufficient to assure adequate protection for lives and property of North Carolinians because the area in which the emergency exists spreads across local jurisdictional boundaries and the legal control measures of the jurisdictions are conflicting or uncoordinated to the extent that efforts to protect life and property are, or unquestionably will be, severely hampered; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166A-19.30(c)(iv), the undersigned has determined that local control of the emergency is insufficient to assure adequate protection of lives and property of North Carolinians because the scale of the emergency is so great that it exceeds the capability of local authorities to cope with it; and
WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 116 invoked the Emergency Management Act, and authorizes the undersigned to exercise the powers and duties set forth therein to direct and aid in the response to, recovery from, and mitigation against emergencies; and
WHEREAS, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166A-l 9.10(b)(3) authorizes and empowers the undersigned to delegate any Gubernatorial vested authority under the Emergency Management
Act and to provide for the subdelegation of any authority; and
WHEREAS, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166A-19.30( c) in conjunction with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166Al 9.31 (b )( 1) authorizes the undersigned to prohibit and restrict the movement of people in public places, including by: (a) imposing a curfew; (b) directing and compelling the voluntary or mandatory evacuation of people from an area; ( c) prescribing routes, modes of transportation and destinations in connection with evacuation; ( d) controlling the movement of persons within an emergency area; and ( e) closing streets, roads, highways, and other areas ordinarily used for vehicular travel, except to the movement of persons necessary for recovery from the emergency; and
WHEREAS, N.C. Gen. Stat.§ 166A-19.30(c) in conjunction with N.C. Gen. Stat.§ 166A-19.3 l(b)(2) authorizes the undersigned to prohibit and restrict the operation of offices, business establishments and other places to and from which people may travel or at which they may congregate; and
WHEREAS, N.C. Gen. Stat.§ 166A-19.30(c) in conjunction with N.C. Gen. Stat.§ 166A-19 .31 (b )( 5) authorizes the undersigned to prohibit and restrict activities which may be reasonably necessary to maintain order and protect lives and property during a state of emergency; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 166A-19.30(a)(2), during a Gubernatorially declared State of Emergency, the undersigned has the power to “give such directions to state and local law enforcement officers and agencies as may be reasonable and necessary for the purpose of securing compliance with the provisions of this Article”.
NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority vested in me as Governor by the Constitution and the laws of the State of North Carolina, IT IS ORDERED:
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https://governor.nc.gov/documents/executive-order-no-121