NC Coronavirus: New Shopper Limits, Cleaning Rules For Stores

NORTH CAROLINA — Grocery and retail stores throughout North Carolina must now comply with stricter social distancing rules amid the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak. Gov. Roy Cooper signed a new executive order Thursday that limits the number of customers in stores based upon their size, and also issued new cleaning requirements.

The new executive order also puts in place new protective mandates for nursing homes, such as face mask requirements for workers, and new measures to help expedite unemployment claims by streamlining employer requirements.

As of April 10, there were 3,908 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, in the state, and at least 74 deaths, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said in its morning update. COVID-19, which is now present in at least 91 out of the state's 100 counties, has also led to at least 423 hospitalizations.

"Even as we follow the stay at home order, there are still essential reasons to leave the house, like for groceries or medicine," Cooper said. "We want to ensure that essential stores are as safe as possible for everyone so that no one is afraid to go out for basic necessities."

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Under the new executive order, which went into effect at 5 p.m. Thursday evening, North Carolina stores must:

• Limit the number of customers allowed in their business to 20 percent of their stated fire capacity, or either five customers per 1,000 square-feet.
• Mark six feet of distance at checkouts
• Conduct routine disinfecting and environmental cleaning inside stores.
• Stores are also encouraged to provide hand sanitizer for customers, set special hours for senior shoppers, use shields at checkouts and create one-way aisles to limit traffic

Earlier this week, state health officials announced that a new hot spot of at least 60 new coronavirus infections emerged at an Orange County skilled nursing home. As of Wednesday, seven of the cases led to hospitalizations and two people died, Cooper said.

"These are shockingly large numbers," Cooper said.

Separately, at least 31 people associated with a nursing home in Pinehurst, North Carolina have tested positive for coronavirus, Moore County Health Department said Wednesday, the Charlotte Observer reported. Included in that number are 26 of the 96 residents of the Pinehurst Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, along with five staff members. More test results are pending, health officials said.

As of Friday morning, there were 35 outbreaks in congregate settings, including nursing homes, residential care facilities and correctional facilities.

In March, state health officials directed all residential facilities, such as nursing homes, to restrict visitors, except for certain instances, such as end-of-life care. Under the new executive order signed April 9, The facilities will now have new set of directives meant to prevent further outbreaks.

Those directives include:

• Requiring all nursing home staff to wear masks when interacting with patients
• Requiring all facilities to close communal areas and restring all non-essential personnel
• Require all residents and staff to be screened daily for symptoms to detect the disease as early as possible
• Require close monitoring of residents for COVID-19 indicators, such as body temperature

Since March 16, North Carolina's Division of Employment Security has accepted 497,000 unemployment claims, and will begin disbursing the federal $600 weekly supplement by April 17, Cooper said Thursday. The new order streamlines for employers the process of filing a batch of claims.

"Time is critical and precious for those who are out of work," he said.

In an attempt to provide as much information to our readers as possible, Patch is publishing a county-by-county breakdown of the coronavirus cases in 91 of North Carolina's 100 counties, along with the number of cases by county and the number of deaths:

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