Citing an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over the past 14 days, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he plans to keep the state in phase three of its reopening for the next three weeks.
“We, North Carolinians, need to act responsibly and protect our loved ones by always wearing masks and keeping distance when we’re together,” Cooper said Wednesday. “Day in and day out, the virus is seizing opportunities to spread. The most dangerous time is when people drop their guard and think this isn’t serious.”
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen and North Carolina Department of Public Safety Secretary Erik Hooks also urged leaders in coronavirus hot spots to implement additional prevention measures.
Hooks and Cohen sent a letter Tuesday to leaders in 36 North Carolina counties that have been identified by the White House Coronavirus Task Force as areas of concern. The counties targeted in the letter have had 300 or more new COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, a rate of cases greater than 50 cases per 10,000 people or one of the three most populous in the state.
The state officials encouraged local governments to instill stricter coronavirus measures, such as lowering their mass gathering limit or implementing an earlier alcohol sales curfew. Hooks and Cohen also recommended local governments enforce penalties for noncompliance.
“The incredible work of our local partners has allowed North Carolina to avoid the first and second waves of rapid spikes in COVID-19 positives that devastated so many other states,” Hooks and Cohen wrote.
“To protect our communities, we must continue working together in this fight against COVID-19.”
The NCDHHS reported 1,842 new cases of COVID-19 in the state Wednesday, and the rate of positive cases is 7.4%. There are 1,214 people hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the NCDHHS dashboard. More than 4,000 people in North Carolina have died from COVID-19.
Hooks and Cohen sent letters to Alamance, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Caswell, Catawba, Chowan, Cleveland, Craven, Cumberland, Davidson, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gaston, Graham, Greene, Guilford, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Pitt, Randolph, Robeson, Rockingham, Rowan, Scotland, Union, Wake, Watauga and Wayne counties.
Cooper’s executive order that keeps current restrictions in place expires Nov. 13.
