RALEIGH, N.C. — In an afternoon news conference about the spread of coronavirus in North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper said he would move the state to 'Phase 2.5' on September 4 at 5 p.m.
What does that mean? Here's some of the new regulations:
- the limits on mass gatherings increase to 25 people indoors, and 50 people outdoors
- playgrounds can open
- museums and aquariums can open at 50% capacity
- gyms can open at 30% capacity
- age requirement for children extends down to age 5
- capacity limits at restaurants and personal care salons will remain the same
- 11 p.m. curfew on alcohol sales at restaurants extended through Oct 2
Here's what will remain closed under the new phase:
- bars
- nightclubs
- movie theaters
- indoor entertainment
- amusement parks
He said it's a "safer at home" phase, and urged people in the at-risk category - people older than age 65, or who have underlying health conditions - to continue to exercise caution in public.
"We're not out of the woods yet," Cooper cautioned. He said phase 2.5 was part of the state's "dimmer switch" approach to reopening slowly.
The health department's secretary, Dr. Mandy Cohen, analyzed the trends from the last few months of coronavirus data.
As an overview to the four main categories: North Carolina got four yellow lights.
New cases reported per day is starting to trend downwards, but the state still reported more than 2,000 new cases Tuesday. Cohen acknowledged a small bump in the data from mid-August, when students returned to some college campuses.
Cohen said surveillance data, from people showing up to hospitals with coronavirus symptoms (but who have not been tested yet), is declining. That's still preliminary, though.
The percent positivity of coronavirus tests has remained relatively stable, and while hospitalizations are trending slightly downwards, the number of people in hospitals is still elevated from normal.
She recommended continuing to wear masks, wash hands often and wait 6 feet away from other people in public spaces.
"Moving forward doesn't mean letting up," Cohen said. "It's the actions of all of us that have gotten us to this point. Letting up on those preventative actions, especially the three W's, could erase all that progress."
Cohen also expressed the importance of people getting their preventative flu shots this fall.
"This year, with another dangerous respiratory virus spreading at the same time, and our medical system already working overtime, it's more important than ever to avoid getting sick by getting your flu vaccine," Cohen said.
