Durham to extend strict stay-at-home order, mayor says
Mayor Steve Schewel says the city of Durham and Durham County will extend their combined stay-at-home order past Friday’s scheduled expiration date to help further slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Schewel said he and Wendy Jacobs, the chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, plan to make a formal announcement in a day or two.
The two local governments have a stricter order than the statewide order imposed by Gov. Roy Cooper, who has begun a phased reopening of the state.
“I think I can say with safety that we will be simplifying our order,” Schewel said during a joint meeting of the city and county on Tuesday morning. “We will be adopting the governor’s order, and we will be adding our own restrictions that we think are important.”
For example, the extended Durham order will keep the local requirement for face masks when there isn’t social distancing.
The existing Durham order also requires employers to screen employees at the beginning of their shift for coughing, shortness of breath or a sore throat and, if possible, to also take their temperature.
If an employee has symptoms or a temperature over 100.4 degrees, the employer should make sure the employee has a face mask and require them to leave the workplace, according to a news release.
Schewel noted that local rules for retail businesses cannot be tighter than the governor’s order.
The current statewide rules no longer treat businesses as essential or non-essential. They allow most to reopen at 50% capacity if they follow social distancing rules that keep people six feet apart. Notable exceptions include restaurant dining rooms, personal-care businesses like hair salons, and gyms, which remain closed.
“But in other areas we have been encouraged by the governor and by the state Department of Health and so forth to have our own order that is more appropriate for an urban area, and we will continue to do so,” Schewel said.
As of Monday night, Durham County had 897 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 35 deaths, according to the county health department.
The county has the state’s third-highest number of confirmed cases after Mecklenburg and Wake counties, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services website.
In extending the order the first time, Jacobs acknowledged the difficulties many people are facing.
“We recognize the hardship this virus is causing many people, and our hearts go out to the people who have lost their jobs and those who are isolated,” Jacobs said in a news release. “We still have so much work to do to assist those friends and neighbors through the weeks to come as this pandemic affects all of our lives.”
In a video message Thursday, Schewel also urged people not to let their guard down.
“I worry that in our enthusiasm to get back to work or to go shopping in the stores and malls reopened by Governor Cooper’s new executive order that we will lose the gains we have made against the virus,” he said.
“I’m worried that Durham will begin to see the broad community spread that many cities have experienced,” he continued. “Even as our recovery and renewal begins, we must continue to stay home whenever possible, to socially distance and wash our hands and wear our face coverings. ... This is still in our hands. Together we can continue to slow the spread of the virus.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 11:27 AM.