Three communities in NC have issued shelter-in-place orders as coronavirus spreads
Gov. Roy Cooper has stopped short of issuing shelter-in-place orders as the number of coronavirus cases in North Carolina continues to rise.
But some local officials are taking matters into their own hands.
Madison County in western North Carolina, Pitt County and the Town of Beaufort on the coast asked residents on Monday to stay home and limit travel — effectively issuing their own shelter-in-place orders.
Residents in Madison County were alerted by text, email and voicemail, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported.
The order requires they stay at home or on their own property except for travel to a “necessary” job, the pharmacy, grocery store or medical appointments.
“First, and most importantly, it is essential for everyone to remain calm,” the notice states.
The mayor of Beaufort issued a similar proclamation.
In addition to a state of emergency declared on March 17, the proclamation requires residents stay home apart from “essential activities,” which includes “health and safety activities” and grocery shopping.
Residents are also allowed to go outside on walks, hikes or runs provided they follow the necessary social distancing guidelines and remain six feet apart, according to the proclamation. Essential businesses include stores that sell groceries and medicine, the healthcare industry, media organizations and gas stations, among others.
The order, which goes into effect at 6 a.m. on March 25, is scheduled to last until at least April 22.
On Monday, Pitt County commissioners issued a stay-at-home order for unincorporated parts of the county. It limits “non-essential travel” and gatherings of more than 10 people.
Travel can only be used to “access or provide” essential services, such as health care, food, gas stations, media, banks, hardware stores and childcare.
The order will be in effect from 5 p.m. Wednesday until April 8.
The Pitt County public health director also on Monday sent a letter to residents telling them to “go home and stay home.”
In the notice, Dr. John Silvernail wrote, “Residents should only leave home to attend essential work, purchase food, medicine and other crucial items or to exercise.”
He also encouraged social distancing. As of Monday night, Pitt had six coronavirus cases, and Silvernail said staying home and staying at least six feet away from other “when it is absolutely necessary to leave home, the impact of the virus will be lessened.”
Mecklenburg, Wake and Durham counties have reported the largest number of cases in North Carolina. The statewide total passed 400 on Monday evening, and officials have said there is “community transmission” — meaning “positive cases for people who haven’t traveled internationally or had known contact with someone who has COVID-19,” the News & Observer reported.
Some officials in Mecklenburg have also asked for strict stay-at-home order.
But Cooper has declined to issue any such order for the state, opting instead to close some non-essential businesses and limited mass gatherings to less than 50 people.
“We’re coming up for an option of every single scenario,” Cooper said during a press conference Monday.
Do you have questions about the coronavirus? The News & Observer will get the answers for you. Go to bit.ly/virusnc and let us know what you need to know.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 8:46 PM.
