COVID-19 Update: New Executive Order Eases Restrictions

The following update is provided by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services: 

With North Carolina’s COVID-19 key metrics improving and vaccinations increasing, Governor Cooper announced today a continued easing of restrictions through Executive Order 204.

Throughout the pandemic, North Carolina has been guided by science and data, including a combination of four key metrics – the number of people going to the Emergency Department with COVID-like symptoms, the number of cases, the percent of tests that are positive, and the number of people hospitalized. All are showing positive trends. At the same time, we are quickly getting people vaccinated. 32 percent of North Carolinians are partially vaccinated and 19percent are fully vaccinated. (These rates include federal pharmacy programs, which will be incorporated in the public dashboard beginning on March 24.)

What is staying the same?

The mask mandate remains in effect. Everyone must wear a mask indoors and in all public settings.

Businesses must also maintain the appropriate 6 feet of distance requirement and continue to implement other safety protocols as they expand their capacity.

What is changing?

While continuing to require masks and social distancing, lower risk settings will be allowed to open up to full capacity, medium risk settings will be allowed to open up to 75 percent capacity indoors, and higher risk settings will be open up to 50 percent.

• Examples of lower risk settings that can now open up to full capacity include: retail shopping businesses, child care, camps, outdoor playgrounds, personal care businesses, and museums.
• Examples of medium risk settings that are now open up to full capacity outdoor and up to 75 percent indoor include restaurants, breweries, wineries, gyms, pools and amusement parks.
• Examples of higher risk settings that can open up to 50 percent capacity include stadiums and arenas, conference spaces, reception spaces, movie theaters, gaming and bars..

Settings and activities are lower risk when they involve interacting with fewer people, being outside, keeping masks on the entire time, keeping interactions with people short (under 15 minutes), staying physically distant, and avoiding singing, yelling, and cheering.

Executive Order No. 204 will also increase mass gathering limits from 25 to 50 people indoors and 50 to 100 outdoors. It also fully lifts the restriction on the late-night sale and service of alcoholic beverages on bars, restaurants, and other establishments. 

In addition to the Executive Order, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services updated guidance for schools. Schools should return to in-person instruction to the fullest extent possible while following all public health protocols in the StrongSchoolsNC Toolkit, including wearing masks all the time and cleaning of high traffic areas. Schools are  highly encouraged to conduct screening testing as recommended by the CDC and provided for free to schools in partnership with DHHS.

As always, we hope you will share information about COVID-19 vaccines with your networks. We have a comprehensive communications toolkit with bilingual flyers, posters, social media graphics. video library, and more.