Governor announces new NC curfew as nearly half of counties have high COVID-19 spread
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is instituting a modified stay-at-home order to help curb the recent surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, including a 10 p.m. curfew. It will extend into the new year.
Individuals should stay at home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless an exception applies, and many businesses must close at 10 p.m., according to the new order.
“The stakes are dire,” Cooper said Tuesday at a news conference. “This is truly a matter of life and death.”
The new rules will start Friday at 5 p.m. and remain in effect through Jan. 8.
The order comes as more than 80% of North Carolina’s 100 counties are in the orange and red categories of the statewide county alert system that gives an indication of community spread.
There are now 48 counties that are identified as red, or with critical community spread. That’s more than double from the 20 red counties identified Nov. 23, before the Thanksgiving holiday. There are 34 orange counties, as compared to 42 counties in that last report.
“The virus is upon us with a rapid viciousness we haven’t seen before,” Cooper said. “Even though we’re all frustrated and weary of the fight, it’s more important than ever to take this virus seriously.”
Tuesday’s announcement comes as the state has reported more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in March with 4,670 new cases on Tuesday. The seven-day average for new daily cases is a record high 5,234, and hospitalizations have also been steadily rising statewide, The News & Observer reported.
Cooper said the state will impose more restrictions “if our trends do not improve.”
The new order applies to businesses like restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, most retail stores and personal care businesses like salons. All on-site alcohol consumption sales are prohibited from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. at restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries, according to the order.
Some exceptions — places that can remain open — include grocery stores, health care facilities, pharmacies, gas stations, construction and manufacturing sites and childcare. Places may remain open from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for workers, as long as “no guests are admitted onto the premises,” according to the governor’s office.
Restaurants, breweries, distilleries and wineries also may continue take-out and delivery after 10 p.m.
The 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew is being instated because “the later in the evening you go, the larger gatherings get,” Cooper said. He said people are uninhibited and closer together, creating more opportunities to spread COVID-19. He said after 10 p.m., “they just really need to go home” from both public gatherings and at other people’s homes.
Enforcing new COVID-19 rules as pandemic worsens
Cooper said they are asking local governments to use their personnel and to pass ordinances that would allow for fines and other restrictions to enforce the state’s rules for businesses and individuals. That’s been one of Cooper’s common themes of asking local municipalities to help enforce coronavirus restrictions that are in effect, from mask wearing to mass gatherings.
“It’s so important for us to come together on this,” Cooper said. “We aren’t putting these orders out there in order to get anybody in trouble.
“We’re putting them out there to save lives, and people need to realize that these things are scientifically proven to help slow the spread of the virus and we need to get it done,” Cooper said.
Cooper launched the statewide county alert system in mid-November that looks at COVID-19 cases, percent positivity rate and hospital impacts.
County 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.
In the Triangle, Wake and Durham moved from yellow to orange while Johnston moved from orange to red. The only Triangle county that is in the yellow tier is Orange County.
NC executive order
The modified stay-at-home order will impose the first new restrictions on restaurants since North Carolina reopened its dining rooms in May. Lynn Minges, executive director of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, called the earlier closing time for restaurants and bars the best case scenario for any new restrictions, in that dining rooms would remain open and capacity limits unchanged.
“We support the Governor’s decision,” Minges said. “It’s a fine balancing act protecting public safety and the economy. We see this as a good next step and are willing and eager to do our part to keep our industry going through the winter months.”
North Carolina has been under Phase 3, the third phase of reopening, since the beginning of October. Phase 3’s expiration has been extended multiple times, usually by three weeks, with some tighter restrictions.
Cooper’s last executive order in November added new rules for mask wearing and enforcement. The statewide mask mandate remains in place.
No capacity limits were reduced in this new order.
Under the current Phase 3, indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people with outdoor gatherings limited to 50 people. Parades, fairs and festivals are prohibited.
Large outdoor events like professional and college sporting events are allowed if the facility can seat more than 10,000 people. Those events are limited to no more than 7% of the facility’s total seating capacity.
There are exemptions for religious services and the First Amendment.
In recent weeks, as cases have spiked, Cooper and health officials have urged stronger enforcement of the mandate, along with capacity limits, by business owners, community leaders and local officials.
NC vaccine plan
The first round of vaccines could arrive as early as next week in North Carolina, depending on what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does Thursday at a meeting on the Pfizer vaccine. In North Carolina, about 85,000 doses would first go to health-care workers in high-risk job settings. Those working and living in long-term care facilities will also be at the top of the list, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The first people worldwide to receive a Pfizer vaccine outside of clinical trials were vaccinated on Tuesday in England, Reuters reported.
“While promising vaccines are so close, they can’t help us yet,” Cooper said. “Only all of us working together can do that.”
Cohen also cautioned about the vaccine timeline.
“I know that news of effective and safe vaccines has given us all hope, but vaccines aren’t here yet,” Cohen said. “We have to act now to save lives, safeguard our hospital capacity and preserve our economy.”
She said more people will receive the vaccine as supplies increase. The Moderna vaccine also is under review by the FDA.
Cooper said he’ll “roll up his sleeve” to take a vaccine when it is his turn.
Hospitalization concerns
In the meantime, health officials remain worried about hospitalizations and other coronavirus metrics used to guide decisions. The percent of tests returning positive has increased to more than 10%, according to state officials.
These recent trends of rising numbers and worsening conditions across the state likely don’t reflect the impact of Thanksgiving gatherings, Cohen said.
Cohen said the number of people coming into the emergency department with coronavirus-like symptoms has increased sharply and is at its highest level since the pandemic began.
North Carolina is also setting records for the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 and the number of people in the intensive care units.
“Hospitals are feeling the strain,” Cohen said.
That doesn’t just mean bed capacity. It also means having enough personnel to take care of patients, health officials say.
Cohen and Cooper again asked people not to travel over the holidays. If people do travel to see family and friends, they should get tested beforehand, wear a mask and keep gatherings small and outdoors.
Cohen said she’s worried about the virus continuing to spread and said North Carolinians must act now to help slow it down.
“Do not wait until it is you or your loved one who is sick with COVID to wear a mask, wait six feet apart and wash your hands often,” Cohen said.
“Do not wait until it’s you or your loved one alone in a hospital bed, struggling against this virus. Do not wait until it’s your family that loses someone to COVID-19.”
Reporter Drew Jackson contributed to this story.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 3:12 PM.
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