Gov. Cooper extends state of emergency, mask mandate for at-risk settings

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper extended the mask mandate for certain at-risk settings until the end of July, with a new executive order issued Friday.

At-risk settings under the mask mandate include public transportation, schools, health care and child care facilities, and state prisons and local jails. This is in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cooper’s original order, issued in May, was set to expire at 5 p.m. on Friday.

The state of emergency began in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the state has been under that order since.

Over the last several weeks, nearly all statewide restrictions, including the mask mandate, have been lifted.

The state of emergency allows North Carolina to waive certain regulations and receive federal funding for pandemic response, according to a press release from Cooper’s office.

“This is not the time to hang up a ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner in our fight against the pandemic,” Cooper said in the press release. “We are laser focused on getting more shots in arms, boosting our economy and protecting unvaccinated people from the virus.”

According to that press release, the state of emergency gives North Carolina easier access to federal funding, including public assistance reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

It also allows the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to allow more medical personnel to administer vaccines and COVID-19 tests.

DHHS can also expand access to Medicaid services and food and nutrition programs under the state of emergency, according to Cooper’s office.

Federal funding under the order also goes to the North Carolina National Guard, which has helped with vaccine distribution and delivery to food banks across the state, Cooper’s office said.

As for the school mask mandate, DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said last week that many factors contribute to the continuation of certain COVID-19 restrictions, specifically in schools.

“We continue to recognize that the vast majority of students are unvaccinated,” Cohen said.

Children under age 12 are not currently eligible for any of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Among those eligible for the vaccine in North Carolina — age 12 and up — 51% have received at least one dose, trailing the national rate of 62%.

To encourage more vaccinations in the state, Cooper announced an incentive program on Thursday where those vaccinated are entered into a lottery for a chance to win $1 million.

Cooper’s office said that this program is also operated through the state of emergency order.

Republicans to consider legislative action

Republican Majority Leader Sen. Phil Berger, who is fully vaccinated, told reporters Thursday that the mask mandate should be fully lifted and that it isn’t necessary for federal funding to continue.

“What we’ve been able to research, I don’t see that there is any diminishment of any federal funds that would be coming to the state of North Carolina on the failure to have a mask mandate, unless it’s some federal money to pay for masks,” he said.

Berger’s legislative assistant, Lauren Horsch, told The News & Observer in an email on Friday that Senate and House Republicans are considering legislative action to “curtail future abuses of executive authority.”

“Gov. Cooper should not have extended his executive order. There is no emergency,” Horsch said.

As of Friday afternoon, Cooper’s office had not responded to a request for comment on possible action from the state legislature or on the allegation that he is abusing his authority.