RALEIGH — North Carolina’s stay-at-home order has been extended until May 8th due to Executive Order 135 issued by Governor Roy Cooper on Thursday, April 23. On the following day, Thursday, April 24, Cooper ordered schools to stay close for the remainder of the year.
Cooper said he plans to open the state’s economy in three phases once data shows that we are headed in the right direction.
“The health and safety of people in North Carolina must be our top priority,” said Cooper. “This plan provides a roadmap for us to begin easing restrictions in stages to push our economy forward.”
Phase one of Cooper’s plan could begin as early as May 9 if the state’s indicators continue to move in the right direction. According to Cooper, this phase is a “modified” stay-at-home order and would allow, “more opportunities to go out safely without the restrictions of going out only for needed supplies.”
Phases Two would lift the stay-at-home order and occur two to three weeks after Phase One is complete as long as the state continues to make progress. Restaurants, places of worship, bars, and venues would be allowed to operate at a reduced capacity. Gyms and personal care services that can follow protocols will also be allowed to open at this phase.
Phase Three will go into effect four to six weeks after Phase Two and will lessen restrictions for vulnerable populations. Bars, restaurants, and places of worship would be allowed to operate at an increased capacity and the mass gathering ban would be increased to allow more people. Nursing homes and other congregate living facilities will still have restrictions in this phase.
“As we move through these phases, if our inspections spike or trends move in the wrong direction, may have to move back to a previous phase,” said Cooper.
Anson County officials expressed support for the extension.
“The Health Department supports Governor Cooper’s extension of North Carolina’s Stay At Home order through May 8, as well as North Carolina’s plan to lift restrictions in three phases once the data show that key metrics are headed in the right direction,” said Anson County Health Director Dr. Fred Thompson.
Wadesboro Town Manager David Edwards said city staff understands the tension between wanting to get back to work and staying safe.
“We understand how difficult this decision may come to many in the community who are struggling with the financial and social impacts of the Governor’s order being extended, all of us are either directly or indirectly affected by this virus,” said Wadesboro Town Manager David Edwards. “On the other hand, we also respect the importance of protecting those who are vulnerable in our community and the need to keep this disease from exceeding the capabilities of our medical system.
“Therefore the Town will continue to actively serve our citizens in the best way that we can while maintaining social distancing to ensure the safety of our employees and citizens.”
At the April 27 meeting of the Anson County Board of Election, which was held virtually, Anson County Schools Superintendent Michael Freeman said, “We are presenting proposals (for our end of year plans) and letting legal council at the state level run it through the Executive Order. Then, we’ll share it with our local legal counsel and determine what our options are.”
“Currently, as far as summer programs are concerned, we’re in a holding pattern,” said Freeman. “Meaning that the Governor will probably make another announcement prior the time we would begin those programs. We still know the dynamics of what our parameters will be. Anything we do at this time will have to comply with social distancing.”
Concerning Scholarship Night and sports awards, “We have activated quite a few staff members and we are looking at this to determine what we’re going to do,” said Freeman. “The High School Principal and, the team that typically works on those programs, and I have been communicating frequently. As soon as we get the planned developed, it will be shared with the Board of Education prior to submitting it to the public.”
“We are going to do our best to be innovative and take any approach we can to honor our students in a very respectful fashion,” said Freeman. “For Scholarship Night, everything is in motion. We are submitting the scholarship applications to the various donors. They’re doing their selection process. Once that’s complete, we’ll determine how we’re going to be able to honor the recipients involved in these programs. As you can imagine, the month of May is going to be extremely busy.”
