Gov. Roy Cooper announces plans for new executive orders amid coronavirus outbreak

Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday said the North Carolina stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic is working. However, he is not sure when it will be lifted.

“Social distancing and staying at home is our best weapon in this fight,” he said in a press conference. “I know many of you are wondering if this North Carolina model means our stay at home order will continue into May. My answer is we just don’t know yet.”

At the same time, Cooper said he is planning for new executive orders this week, including limiting the number of people who can be in retail stores at once. He’s also discouraged people from gathering for the upcoming Easter and Passover holidays.

“We are preparing an executive order to put more guardrails on social distancing at our essential retailers,” Cooper said. “I know many stores have already put limits on how many people can be in stores at once, and this will ensure those limits are mandatory across the state.”

Later Tuesday, he issued one of the new executive orders to add more flexibility in law enforcement training so people training for new positions can pause their training and resume at a later date.

Interventions working

As of Tuesday morning, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,221 coronavirus cases in 90 counties. It also reported that 354 people are hospitalized and 46 people have died.

The current stay-at-home order is in place until April 29 and Cooper said it has been effective in limiting the virus’ spread.

“The interventions we have put in place are working,” Cooper said. “That’s a positive thing.”

While Cooper said the state must prepare to gradually move back toward re-opening its society, the virus is not controlled enough to do so just yet.

“We understand we can’t stay in this state permanently,” Cooper said. “Let’s try to slow this spread as much as we possibly can to give our hospitals and our healthcare providers a chance to catch their breath.

A predictive model by scientists from UNC and Duke, released Monday, said if that order is extended beyond April, the state’s number of cases could be capped at 250,000.

Removing that order at the end of April could see the number of cases grow to as many as 750,000, which could overwhelm the healthcare system.

Cooper said that model is just one factor he and his staff are considering as they determine whether to remove or extend social restrictions.

“Modeling is one of a number of tools we are using to make informed decisions in this fight,” Cooper said. “We’ll look at this and other models, analyze experiences in other countries and states, and consult public health experts and business leaders.”

New executive orders

Cooper said in addition to limiting the number of people allowed in a store, other things being considered are making aisles like one-way streets to avoid interactions, marking floor with tape so people will stand at least six feet away while waiting in line and adding plexiglass barriers to protect employees at check-out areas.

“We need to make that kind of thing more uniform,” Cooper said. “That’s what you can expect in an executive order. Maybe not precisely those details, but we are getting input from across the state as to how we want to form these restrictions.”

Tuesday’s new order waives the “consecutive weeks of training” requirement so trainees who may need to quarantine can pick up where they left off in training.

“Public health cannot be compromised in the efforts to fill much needed roles in law enforcement during the state of emergency,” Cooper said a statement. “This Order offers training schedule flexibility during these unusual circumstances so that critical jobs do not go unfilled.”

The order covers Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET), Criminal Justice Instructor Training and Detention Officer Certification.

Cooper and DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen also announced a new support program for child care for kids of essential workers.

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