Starting at 5 p.m. Friday, North Carolina will loosen more coronavirus restrictions, allowing bigger gatherings and lifting the curfew on alcohol sales.
Gov. Roy Cooper made the announcement Tuesday. With lower case numbers and fewer people in the hospital with COVID-19, the governor has been slowly easing the restrictions in recent months.
The new order allows some places to increase their maximum capacity up to 100%, while other places will be allowed to operate at 75% capacity indoors.
Cooper also lifted the 11p.m. curfew for on-site alcohol consumption. The new executive order, which expires at the end of April, allow raises the limit for getherings to 50 for inside events and 100 people outside.
Some places allowed to operate at 100% indoors and outdoors starting Friday include: mueseums, aquariums, retail businesses, shops, salons, and personal care shops, the governor said.
Businesses that will be able to operate at 75% indoors and 100% outdoors are: restaurants, breweries, wineries, amusement parks, gyms and pools, and other recreation establishments, the governor stated.
Place that will be allowed to run at 50% inside and outside include: bars, movie theaters, gaming facilities, conference spaces, lounges, nightclubs, auditoriums, arenas, and fields, with movie theaters and gaming businesses operating at 75% outdoors.
All of these various businesses and establishments must continue to run with safety guidelines in place, such as social distancing and wearing masks, and the governor's mask mandate remains in place.
As more people get vaccinated and case numbers continue to drop, the governor said he is working with public health officials to ease more restrictions. It's been more than a year since Cooper signed the first in a series of executive orders that effectively shut down the state during the pandemic.
The Department of Health and Human Services also said daily health screenings for schools, including temperature-taking and symptom checks, could be relaxed, but masks and cleaning of high-traffic areas is still required. Updates for schools K - 12 also include returning to in-person instruction to the "fullest extent possible" while following all public health protocols for N.C. schools, according to officials.
The changes are coming as coronavirus cases in the state continue to stablize and trend downward following a surge in cases and hospitalizations after the holiday season.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, released new COVID metrics. She said the number of people showing up at emergency rooms with COVID-19-like symptoms is dropping, and that 32% of North Carolinians over the age of 18 have been at least partially vaccinated.
Cohen and Cooper both stressed the importance of continuing safety measures as more restrictions are eased.
"The pandemic is not over. We're only able to keep the virus in check while we ease restrictions if people act responsibly and follow safety protocols," Cooper said.
