Raleigh, North Carolina – Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday issued a night curfew, a moratorium on evictions and rules that allow restaurants and bars to serve mixed drinks as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage in North Carolina.
Current orders covering all three are scheduled to expire on Sunday, but new executive orders caused it to be withdrawn in late February for curfew and in late March for evictions and pending drinks.
“The virus continues to run through our communities,” Cooper said at a news conference in the afternoon. “We still have work to do. We can’t lower our guard, especially in these cold winter months.”
North Carolina on Wednesday reported 139 coronavirus-related deaths, the fifth time in a week that the number exceeds 100. Last week was the deadliest during the pandemic, with 715 deaths statewide.
Meanwhile, another 5,587 coronavirus infections were reported Wednesday across the state and 3,305 people were in hospitals with COVID-19.
Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, noted that North Carolina virus trends have stabilized in recent days following a rebound in early January. But the percentage of positive virus tests remains at double digits (11.2% on average over the past week), well above the state’s 5% target range.
“We’ve gone through the rise of the winter holidays, but we’re still experiencing worrying levels of viruses,” Cohen said.
The curfew from 10pm to 5am was set in early December to prevent people from staying in groups late at night during the holidays, increasing the risk of coronavirus transmission. Most businesses must close by 10pm and restaurants and bars must stop alcohol sales for on-site consumption by 9pm
But restaurants can continue to fill delivery and delivery orders past 10 p.m., and Cooper issued a separate executive order last month that allowed them to serve drinks combined with those orders to offset some of the revenue lost on the curfew.
Cooper said he chose different dates for curfew and pending beverage orders to provide some stability to restaurant owners as state officials continue to monitor virus trends in the event of necessary changes to the protocols. security.
“We believe this is a good economic boost for those companies that have really been struggling,” he said. “We wanted to make sure they had extra income during that time period.”
Along with the curfew, the state mask mandate, limits on mass meetings, and capacity restrictions for several companies are also maintained.
Evictions have been suspended since last spring as people affected by the closure of pandemic-related businesses struggle to pay rent. President Joe Biden last week extended a similar nationwide moratorium on evictions until March.
“Keeping people at home is an important way to curb the spread of the virus,” Cooper said.
Coronavirus vaccines in NC
The moves come as North Carolina struggles not only with the spreading virus, but also with efforts to vaccinate people.
North Carolina has distributed more than 99 percent of the first doses of coronavirus vaccine it has received so far from the federal government, Cooper said.
“The turning point right now for our state and the nation is that there is not enough vaccine,” he said.
Learn about the COVID-19 vaccine clinics near you.
The limited supply has forced some counties to limit vaccination appointments in recent days.
Biden on Tuesday announced plans to increase weekly vaccine shipments to states by 16 percent for at least the next three weeks. Cooper said the added supply “will help, but we still need a lot more.”
The governor encouraged counties to continue setting appointments for vaccines, focusing on health care workers and people 65 and older, and to create waiting lists for people to be prepared to receive their vaccines as soon as possible. as soon as the state has enough vaccine for them.
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger criticized the state’s “zig-zag” approach to vaccine distribution, saying officials should have taken into account existing appointments when making assignments in instead of forcing the cancellation of these appointments.
“It’s just an indication that they’re being invented as they move forward, rather than planning things and making sure we have the best distribution plan possible,” Berger, R-Rockingham, said. it leaves a lot to be desired “.
State lawmakers, who are back in session, may draft legislation on vaccine distribution, he said, but for now it remains in the hands of the Cooper administration.
Laura Leslie, head of the WRAL Capitol Office, contributed to this report.