Cooper To Soon Announce Plan To Ease NC Coronavirus Restrictions

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolinians can expect details later this week about how the state intends to go forward with easing restrictions put in place to slow the spread of new coronavirus. As statewide stay-at-home orders are set to expire at the end of the month, Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday he will announce a decision by the end of this week about what comes next.

North Carolina public schools have been closed since March 16 and are not scheduled to reopen before May 15. Last month, Cooper also ordered all restaurant dining areas and bars to close. By late March, the state was under a stay-at-home executive order through April 29 that limited gatherings to no more than 10 people and encouraged social distancing of at least 6 feet.

"I know that many people are frustrated, restless, anxious and eager to get back to work and school," Cooper said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. "I also know that many people want to make sure that their families are as safe as possible from this virus."

Without an extension of social distancing policies set to expire at the end of the April, North Carolina hospitals face an increased likelihood that their ability to provide acute care for coronavirus patients will be outstripped, perhaps as soon as Memorial Day, a team of epidemiologists told state health officials recently.

"This week, we intend to lay out trends we need to meet along with testing and tracing capacity in order to ease restrictions," Cooper said.

"We understand that we cannot stay at home forever and that this is not sustainable long term," Cooper said. "But what we have to do is ease back into it and make sure that this virus does not spike, which it very easily could do and overwhelm our hospitals."

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in North Carolina. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

Cooper signed into effect a new executive order Tuesday that allows furloughed workers who have been given a severance to access unemployment benefits.

"Before this order, these employees were ineligible for unemploment compensation," Cooper said. "With this order, they now qualify."

State officials are working with food processing plants to implement Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to protect workers and the food supply, after coronavirus outbreaks were reported at five food processing plants, state officials announced Tuesday.

The outbreaks, which are defined as two or more cases, were reported at facilities in Bladen, Chatham, Duplin, Lee and Robeson counties, according to state Department of Health and Human Services.

"We are in contact with the companies, public health officials and our federal inspection partners," Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a statement Tuesday. "The companies are working to implement recommendations of the CDC and state public health and local officials to keep these facilities operating and producing a stable supply of safe and nutritious food."

According to health department, the food processing plants report that they are conducting temperature and symptom checks of employees, encouraging sick employees to stay home, implementing paid sick leave, providing personal protective equipment and employing social distancing policies where possible.

As of Tuesday, there were at least 6,951 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, and 213 state residents had lost their lives due to coronavirus-related illness, according to state officials.

North Carolina confirmed its first COVID-19 case March 3 and recorded its first coronavirus death March 24.

"In less than a month, we've already surpassed flu deaths for this year," state health department Secretary Mandy Cohen said Monday. "COVID-19 is now the leading cause of death in the United States."

RELATED:

• Pressure Mounts On NC Governor To Relax Coronavirus Restrictions
• Coronavirus: 'Parade Of Lights' Salutes Healthcare Workers
• NC Coronavirus: 4 Ways To Make Face Masks
• 3 NC Medical Universities Tapped To Track Coronavirus In State
• Coronavirus: NC Airports To Receive $284 Million From CARES Act
• Wear Masks In Public, Advise Mecklenburg Health Officials
• NC Residents: How To Check Your Stimulus Payment Status