All NC Schools Closed For The Rest Of The Year: Governor

Kimberly Johnson
Updated ·3 min read

NORTH CAROLINA — All North Carolina schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year, Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday. The announcement, which Cooper called a "tough choice," comes one day following the extension of the statewide stay-at-home order, put in place last month to slow the spread of new coronavirus, until May 8.

North Carolina public schools have been closed since March 16 and were not scheduled to reopen before May 15.

"We don't make this decision lightly, but it's important to protect the health of students and our school staff," Cooper said at a news conference Friday.

SEE ALSO: Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Order Extended In North Carolina

"When we closed schools to in person instruction, we knew it would be difficult for a lot of students," such as those who lacked high-speed internet for remote learning, Cooper said Friday.

Cooper announced two corporate partnerships aimed at bridging the digital divide for students. AT&T is providing 100 hotspots to be deployed on school buses to help students with home internet access. The Duke Energy Foundation has also agreed to provide 80 school bus hotspots, he said.

"The opening of schools in summer and fall, and the availability of summer camps are going to depend on meeting health guidelines," Cooper said.

As of Friday morning, there were at least 8,052 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, and 269 coronavirus-related deaths, according to North Carolina public health officials.

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The future gradual reopening of the state's economy will be determined by what happens over the next two weeks, Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday afternoon.

Last month, Cooper also ordered all restaurant dining areas and bars to close. By late March, the state was under a stay-at-home executive order through April 29 that limited gatherings to no more than 10 people and encouraged social distancing of at least 6 feet.

"After thorough analysis, it's clear that we are flattening the curve, but our state is not ready to lift restrictions yet," he said.

The extension of the stay-at-home order applies to dine-in restaurants as well as close-contact businesses, such as hair and nail salons. Cooper also said the decision about whether public schools will reopen this school year would be announced Friday.

As of Thursday morning, there were at least 7,608 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, and 253 residents who had lost their lives due to coronavirus-related illness, according to North Carolina public health officials.

"This decision is based on the data that we see in our critical categories," Cooper said. "I know people want our lives and our livelihoods back, and I have a plan to do that. But first we will need to hit certain metrics in order to do that."

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This article originally appeared on the Charlotte Patch