Governor Cooper announced yesterday that North Carolina will move into Phase 2 of its reopening plan as of 5 p.m. on Friday. Phase 2 lifts the Stay At Home order and replaces it with a Safer At Home recommendation, particularly for the elderly and others at high risk of serious COVID-19 illness.
Restaurants will be permitted to open their dining room at 50% capacity, along with social distancing and cleaning requirements.
Personal care businesses like salons and barbers may reopen at 50% capacity.
Pools can reopen at 50% capacity as well subject to distancing and cleaning requirements.
Mass gathering limits will be no more than 10 people indoors or 25 peopleoutdoors in most circumstances. These limits apply to conference centers, stadiums, event venues, parks and beaches.
Some businesses that will remain closed include bars, night clubs, gyms and indoor fitness centers, and indoor entertainment venues like movie theaters and bowling alleys.
For more information on the Governor’s order click here.
A Frequently Asked Questions document is available here.
Governor Cooper noted the decision to move to Phase 2 was dictated by the following metrics:
The state’s trajectory of hospitalizations is level over the last 14 days.
The state’s percent of tests returning positive has been decreasing and is beginning to level.
The trend for cases of COVID-like symptoms is decreasing.
The trajectory of lab-confirmed cases is increasing.
The state is also building testing capacity, completing more than 8,000 tests daily at more than 300 testing sites statewide.
North Carolina has also launched a revamped interactive COVID-19 dashboard that includes enhanced features and data on cases, testing, hospitalizations and Personal Protective Equipment. View it here.
North Carolina currently has 20,910 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases with 578 individuals currently hospitalized.
The state has completed 290,645 COVID-19 tests.
716 deaths in the state have been attributed to the disease.
The CDC has issued further guidance for states and localities as they begin to reopen to help businesses and other entities operate safely. It includes extensive public health information and resources as well as guidance on contact tracing, infection control and testing. View the document here.
The CDC has also updated its guidance for long-term care facilities like nursing homes, which have tragically become hotspots during the outbreak. The guidance includes strategies for facilities to prevent the virus from entering, and how to prevent a broader outbreak among patients and staff if it does.
New Hanover County has announced it will continue its expanding COVID-19 testing effort. The drive-through testing location, which has been in downtown Wilmington, will transition into a smaller-scale operation behind the Scottish Rite Temple on 17th Street in Wilmington, beginning next week.
Residents who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should still call the Coronavirus Call Center at 910-798-6800, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to be pre-screened by a public health nurse and scheduled to visit an open-air, drive-through location.
The call center will be closed Monday, May 25, for the Memorial Day holiday.
For today’s good news story, I’m highlighting 8 year old Hannah Dombrowski from Wilmington, who recently marked a year of good health following her second heart transplant. Hannah’s story is a remarkable tale of perseverance that we could all learn from in this time of crisis.
If you have a good news story you would like for us to share, please feel free to respond to this e-mail to share it with us.
