Governor Roy Cooper announced on Wednesday a significant reversal of restrictions on businesses and other locations as rates of hospitalizations, deaths and positive cases due to COVID19 continue to fall and stabilize across the state.
“After alarming numbers during the winter holidays, North Carolina’s trends declined and stabilized,” said Cooper. “Hospitalizations have fallen to their lowest point since before Thanksgiving. The percentage of tests with positive results continues to decline. This is encouraging.”
Specifically, Cooper officially suspended his modified Stay-At-Home by closing non-essential businesses, such as gyms, restaurants and retail, at 10 pm every night. This order, signed after the Thanksgiving and Christmas wave, also prevented alcohol sales from 9 pm.
Although non-essential companies may be open late, alcohol sales will still be subject to a curfew, but this time two hours later, at 11 pm.
The changes take effect on Friday and are expected to expire at the end of March.
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The radical changes also extend to bars and establishments where food sales account for less than 30% of sales. For the first time since March 2020, bars will be allowed to open at 30% capacity, with a capacity for 250 people.
Gymnasiums, museums, aquariums, barber shops, swimming pools, outdoor amusement parks, commercial establishments, restaurants, breweries and wineries will be able to open at 50% of capacity with health and safety protocols.
SEE MORE INFORMATION: Cooper’s full executive order (.pdf)
Some companies that were limited to operating outdoors at 30% capacity will still have this percentage, but will no longer have a limit of 100 people. This includes sports fields and facilities, stadiums, open-air bars, open-air amusement parks and other outdoor businesses.
The new order will also allow some internal businesses to open at 30% capacity and 250 people. These businesses include bars and taverns, indoor amusement parks, cinemas, indoor sports arenas and others.
30% capacity limit (cannot exceed 250 people indoors)
- Bars
- Spaces for meetings, receptions and conferences
- Lounges (including tobacco) and nightclubs
- Indoor areas of amusement parks
- Movie theaters
- Entertainment facilities (for example, bingo halls, gaming establishments)
- Sports arenas and fields
- Locations
Indoor event venues with more than 5,000 seats may be exempt from the 250-person limit if additional security measures of up to 15% of capacity are followed.
50% capacity limit
- Restaurants
- Breweries, wineries, distilleries
- Fitness and physical activity facilities (for example, gyms, bowling alleys, climbing facilities)
- Pools
- Museums and Aquariums
- Resellers
- Outdoor areas of amusement parks
- Salons, personal care, tattoo studios
“This is a huge and difficult victory,” said NCBATA president Zack Medford. “Reducing these restrictions would never have been possible without the tireless efforts of NCBATA members and allies in the past 343 days. We look forward to continuing to build that success with the Governor’s Office and help put our bar and taverns back on their feet afterwards. such a devastating year. “
“Facilitating these restrictions will only work if we continue to protect ourselves and others from this deadly virus,” said Cooper. “Order and our own common sense say that the health and safety protocols must remain in effect.”
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Dr. Mandy Cohen, NC Secretary of Health and Human Services, praised the efforts of the North Carolinians to slow the spread and track “The 3 Ws”, which she assigned to the governor to begin easing restrictions.
Cohen still warned, however, that the trends, while positive, “are still not where we need them” in terms of viral spread.
Wednesday’s press conference took place on the same day that the state opened vaccines for teachers and other school staff. In Wake County, 10,000 school employees have already signed up for the waiting list.
Other key workers in Group 3 will be eligible to sign up for appointments from next month.
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