‘We are in danger.’ NC governor issues dire COVID-19 warning, adds more mask rules
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced a new set of mask requirements Monday, calling them the state’s “best weapon” against a “dire” spread of COVID-19.
He said the state now has 20 counties considered “red” under the state’s new coronavirus alert system — double what it was when the color-coded alerts were introduced last week. Counties can also be ranked orange or yellow.
The new executive order implements the new mask rules Nov. 25 at 5 p.m. and also extends North Carolina’s Phase 3 executive order to Dec. 11, one week after it was set to expire.
“We are in danger,” Cooper said at a press conference Monday.
Cooper’s briefing came shortly after the state Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,601 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina, a new record, and before the Thanksgiving holiday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has strongly advised that people do not travel for the holiday.
The state’s mask requirement has been on the books since June, but Cooper’s executive order adds some new layers and elements of enforcement.
Under the new rules, masks must be worn inside any public setting with non-household members, even when 6 feet apart. They must be worn in public outdoor settings if social distancing isn’t possible.
“Very simply, you need to be wearing a mask when you are around anyone not in your household,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Gatherings remain limited to 10 people indoors unless they are part of the same household, and 50 people for outdoor gatherings.
Cooper and Cohen said people are strongly encouraged to wear them indoors in private settings, too, with non-household members, though it isn’t spelled out in the executive order.
“Health experts point to small gatherings of friends and family as a significant driver of the spread of COVID-19 and health officials strongly encourage people to wear face coverings anytime they are around non-household members, whether in a public or private setting,” a spokesperson from the governor’s office said in an email.
DHHS also listed 2,419 new cases of coronavirus Monday, bringing the state’s total to 339,194. On Saturday, the state surpassed 5,000 deaths, with almost 1,000 of those reported in the past month.
Cohen said hospitals are starting to feel the strain.
“We are on very shaky ground,” Cohen said. “I do not want to see the bottom fall out.”
The state still has hospital capacity and space available if it runs low, Cooper said, and the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests is not too much higher than the level state health officials want.
“Things are not on fire yet,” the governor said.
But he called this a pivotal moment and said the next seven to 14 days will show “if we are stemming the tide or we need to ratchet it up more.
“This virus is deadly, it’s spreading too fast and it’s up to each one of us to slow it down,” Cooper said.
Executive order changes
The new executive order has a list of places when masks must now be worn.
▪ For the first time, people in private schools must wear them. He had previously only required them in public schools. North Carolina private schools have accounted for the majority of COVID-19 clusters at schools. Many private schools say they’re requiring face masks but it hasn’t been mandatory for all schools until now.
▪ The order requires retail stores with more than 15,000 square feet to keep an employee stationed near the entrance to enforce occupancy limits and make sure customers wear masks.
▪ People must wear them while exercising in gyms.
▪ People who ride public transportation could be denied access if they don’t wear a mask.
▪ Restaurant diners must wear them at their tables unless they are actively eating or drinking.
An exception remains for children who are younger than 5 years old.
The executive order now has more teeth when it comes to enforcement. Before, the state said, enforcement applied to businesses or organizations that didn’t enforce face coverings.
But now individuals also can face consequences for not following the guidelines and can be enforced by local law enforcement.
Cooper said the state is not pushing for curfews or lower capacities despite the surging numbers, believing that the pandemic can be stemmed if people follow the existing rules.
The state has called on local leaders to increase enforcement of capacity limits and mask requirements. The new three-color alert system is meant to help counties better understand how the pandemic is affecting their respective counties.
Each level includes different recommendations for how the counties can curb the spread of COVID-19.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, who was also at the news conference, said their city manager was given the ability to use city departments to enforce existing COVID-19 regulations and restrictions, instead of relying on law enforcement. Guilford County has seen an increase in cases and is now in the red zone.
She said the penalty for exceeding capacity is a civil fine of $100 for businesses for each person over capacity. Greensboro also requires businesses to enforce mask-wearing on all their employees.
Subsequent warnings for repeated violations can result in a business closing for up to 72 hours, The News & Record reports.
Updated coronavirus alerts
Cooper said the state had planned to update the alert system monthly, but decided to announce new updates because of the approaching holidays and dramatic changes in case status.
Color codes are determined by: case rate, which is the number of new cases in 14 days per 100,000 people; percent positive, which is the percent of COVID-19 tests that are positive over 14 days; and hospital impact, which is based on the number of hospitalizations, how many staffed hospital beds are open, critical staff shortages and COVID-19-related visits to emergency departments over 14 days.
There are now 42 counties that are considered orange. Last week, there were 43. The remaining are yellow.
The new red counties are Alamance, Bertie, Catawba, Guilford, Montgomery, Perquimans, Robeson, Surrey, Swain, Vance, and Yadkin.
Most counties rose in severity from last week to this week, though there were a few exceptions.
Sampson County, previously red last week, is now orange. Currituck, Hertford and Jackson counties moved from orange to yellow.
In the Triangle, Johnston County remains in the orange zone, now joined by Chatham. Wake, Durham and Orange counties remain yellow.
Color codes are determined by: case rate, which is the number of new cases in 14 days per 100,000 people; percent positive, which is the percent of COVID-19 tests that are positive over 14 days; and hospital impact, which is based on the number of hospitalizations, how many staffed hospital beds are open, critical staff shortages and COVID-19-related visits to emergency departments over 14 days.
North Carolina does not have travel restrictions.
Cooper and Cohen also have been urging people to celebrate Thanksgiving with safety precautions, including small groups, eating outside, social distancing of at least six feet with people outside your household, washing hands frequently and wearing a mask.
How NC counties are ranked in COVID-19 alert system
Here is where North Carolina’s 100 counties are ranked as of Nov. 23. The counties that are bolded are new additions to each tier, compared to Nov. 17:
RED (20): Alamance, Alexander, Avery, Bertie, Catawba, Columbus, Davie, Gaston, Guilford, Hoke, Mitchell, Montgomery, Perquimans, Robeson, Surry, Swain, Vance, Wilkes, Wilson and Yadkin.
ORANGE (42): Ashe, Bladen, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Camden, Caswell, Chatham, Cherokee, Cleveland, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Davidson, Duplin, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Iredell, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, McDowell, Moore, Nash, Northampton, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Pitt, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Sampson*, Scotland, Stokes, Warren
*Sampson County is the only red county to move to orange.
YELLOW (38): Alleghany, Anson, Beaufort, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Carteret, Chatham, Chowan, Clay, Currituck*, Durham, Franklin, Gates, Graham, Harnett, Haywood, Henderson, Hertford*, Hyde, Jackson*, Lenoir, Macon, Martin, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Person, Polk, Stanly, Transylvania, Tyrrell, Union, Wake, Washington, Watauga, Wayne and Yancey.
*Currituck, Hertford and Jackson moved from orange to yellow.
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 2:29 PM.
CORRECTION: This story clarifies that wearing masks in private settings is not in Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order but is strongly encouraged by health experts.
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