UPDATED June 24, 2020 — Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen today announced that North Carolina will remain in Phase 2 of its Covid Restart for three more weeks. Governor Cooper also announced that, in an effort to stop viral spread, face coverings must be worn in public places. This Executive Order is effective at 5:00 pm on Friday, June 26, 2020 and remains in effect through 5:00 pm on Friday, July 17, 2020. Read the full text of Executive Order No. 147.  

Growing evidence shows that cloth face coverings, when worn consistently, can decrease the spread of COVID-19, especially among people who are not yet showing symptoms of the virus. “North Carolina is relying on the data and the science to lift restrictions responsibly, and right now our increasing numbers show we need to hit the pause button while we work to stabilize our trends,” said Governor Cooper. “We need to all work together so we can protect our families and neighbors, restore our economy, and get people back to work and our children back to school.” 

Certain businesses must have employees and customers wear face coverings, including: retailers; restaurants; personal care and grooming businesses; child care centers and camps; state government agencies under the Governor’s Cabinet; transportation organizations; construction/trades; manufacturers; agriculture and meat processing businesses; healthcare and long-term care organizations.

Exceptions

A face covering is not required for a worker, customer, or patron who:

• Should not wear a face covering due to any medical or behavioral condition or disability (including, but not limited to, any person who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious or incapacitated, or is otherwise unable to put on or remove the face covering without assistance);
• Is under eleven (11) years of age;
• Is actively eating or drinking;
• Is strenuously exercising;
• Is seeking to communicate with someone who is hearing-impaired in a way that requires the mouth to be visible;
• Is giving a speech for a broadcast or to an audience;
• Is working at home or is in a personal vehicle;
• Is temporarily removing his or her face covering to secure government or medical services or for identification purposes;
• Would be at risk from wearing a face covering at work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulations or workplace safety guidelines;
• Has found his or her face covering is impeding visibility to operate equipment or a vehicle; or
• Is a child whose parent, guardian, or responsible person has been unable to place the face covering safely on the child’s face.

Enforcement of the Executive Order

According to the Executive Order, law enforcement will only write citations to businesses or organizations that fail to enforce the requirement to wear face coverings. Operators of businesses and organizations are entitled to rely on their customers or patrons’ statements about whether or not they are excepted from the face covering requirements, and businesses and organizations do not violate this Executive Order if they rely on these statements.

Law enforcement personnel are not authorized to criminally enforce the face-covering requirements of this Executive Order against individual workers, customers, or patrons. However, if a business or organization refuses entry to a worker, customer, or patron refusing to wear a face covering, and if that worker, customer, or patron enters the premises or refuses to leave the premises, law enforcement may enforce the trespassing laws and any other laws that the worker, customer, or patron may violate.

NC Coronavirus Case Count Continues to Rise

Based on the metrics laid out in April by Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen, North Carolina is evaluating a combination of the data from the following categories that shows the indicators moving in the wrong direction, causing officials to implement today’s pause in Phase 2. 

• North Carolina’s syndromic surveillance trend for COVID-like illness is increasing.
• North Carolina’s trajectory of lab-confirmed cases has started to plateau but is still increasing.
• North Carolina’s trajectory in percent of tests returning positive remains elevated.
• North Carolina’s trajectory of hospitalizations is increasing, though our healthcare systems have capacity.
• The state continues building its capacity to respond to an increase in virus pread. These efforts include:

Other Initiatives To Stop the Virus

North Carolina is averaging more than 17,000 coronavirus tests a day for the past week, and there are more than 500 sites listed online plus additional pop-up sites. However, North Carolina labs and labs around the country are seeing supply shortages for laboratory chemicals needed to process tests.

NC’s Tracing Capability is on the increase, with over 1,500 full-time and part-time staff supporting contact tracing efforts at the local health department level, including the 309 Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative contact tracers. These new hires reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, and 44% are bilingual.  

The state’s personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies are stable. The Matthews Chamber has compiled this PPE Resource List to aid North Carolina business owners in procuring masks and other protective equipment for workers and patrons. We have also issued our Smart Restart Playbook, a free 64-page PDF that offers industry-by-industry guidance for businesses re-opening. Download a copy here.

For more information, visit the Governor’s website.