Wake County could extend its stay-at-home order Thursday. Will Raleigh, towns sign on?
Wake County is expected to extend its stay-at-home order for at least two more weeks to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
An announcement is planned for sometime Thursday, the same day the original March 26 order was scheduled to end.
“The data shows our existing measures are working; we’ll share that data, charts, etc. as well,” Wake County Commissioner Chair Greg Ford said Tuesday. “We’re planning to extend another two weeks with option to renew, revise or rescind at that time based on the latest data and conditions.”
The order will be modified slightly, though Ford said he couldn’t share the changes until the announcement. As of Wednesday afternoon the county’s mayors were on board with the changes, he said, though calls were still going out.
Wake County’s order technically only applies to the unincorporated parts of the county outside city and town limits. But all 12 of the mayors of Wake County’s cities and towns signed on to the previous order.
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin confirmed the city would be signing on to the county’s extension.
In a Sunday blog post, Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht wrote that he believed Wake County’s order would be extended but he doubted all of Wake County’s cities and towns would participate.
“Some will probably use the state’s stay-at-home order to have a more consistent message,” he wrote.
North Carolina issued a state-wide stay-at-home order a few days after Wake County. The biggest difference is that the county’s order limits gatherings to a household while the state allows gatherings up to 10 people.
The local extension comes just a few days after more than 100 people protested in downtown Raleigh calling on the governor to reopen the state. At least one protester was arrested.
Wake County has more than 500 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, while the state has more than 5,200 confirmed cases. More than 125 people have died across the state, and outbreaks have been reported in nearly all 100 counties.
Durham and Orange counties’ stay-at-home order ends April 30, though they could be extended, revised or ended earlier.
This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 4:53 PM.
