Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive order No. 138 on May 5, 2020, to modify the current stay at home order for North Carolina. 

 

On Friday, May 8 at 5 p.m., Phase One was carried out and has eased some of the current restrictions regarding the stay-at-home-order that was put into effect on March 30. Instead of just essential business being open, the retail and other businesses that have been shut down for the past eight weeks will also reopen their doors.

 

Those businesses will be open at 50% capacity and will require customers to be six feet apart. Additionally, they will require staff to clean workspaces frequently and provide customers with access to hand sanitizer. Phase One has allowed people to leave their homes and go to any businesses that are open. 

 

Businesses including bars, hair salons, nail salons, movie theaters, and gyms are not yet reopening.

 

Phase One is planned to last a minimum of two to three weeks before state officials can go ahead with Phase Two.

 

Phase Two would lift the stay-at-home-order, but still strongly encourage vulnerable citizens to stay home. Bars and restaurants would run at reduced capacity and practice social distancing. Churches and entertainment businesses would also run at reduced capacity. 

 

Restrictions on nursing homes and congregate-living settings would still be in effect. The number of people allowed at gatherings would increase.

For further information about the North Carolina reopening, go to governor.nc.gov and for more information about the Coronavirus go to cdc.gov.