GOV. ROY COOPER

Aug. 5. By Dave Yochum. Saying the current promising state of the COVID-19 outbreak is fragile, Gov. Roy Cooper has extended “Safer at Home” by five more weeks.

It means restrictions around gatherings, retail stores, restaurants and other businesses will be in place through the Labor Day weekend.

Cooper has kept restrictions in place longer twice before.

The state has been in Phase Two of COVID-19 restrictions on business and leisure activity since May 22. Restaurant dining rooms are allowed to open at half occupancy, as well as barbershops, salons and tattoo parlors.

Cooper said returning “kids safely to class depends on what works.”

Doubling down on restrictions has been working, he said, in light of better COVID-19 data coming out of the NC Dept. of Health & Human Services. Cooper added that there has been a direct correlation between the face mask mandate and improvements in COVID-19 data.

The state’s median number of new COVID-19 cases over the past seven days is now 7.6 percent lower than the previous 30-day median. The difference in the medians—1,849 per day since July 5 vs. 1,708 in the past week—reflects data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

“It’s time to double down…the better off our economy and people will be,” he said.

Extending Safer at Home means bars, gyms and entertainment venues remain closed until Sept. 11.