As more adults in North Carolina get vaccinated, Governor Roy Cooper recently announced a new order to ease some COVID-19 restrictions within the state.

Cooper’s latest executive order, set to go into effect on Friday at 5 p.m., will scale back the requirement of wearing masks while outdoors while still requiring them indoors as a spread prevention method. The move is similar to guidance shared by the federal Centers for Disease Control earlier this week — which said fully vaccinated people are safe to forego masks when outdoors.

In addition, mass gathering limits have been increased in North Carolina. Starting on Friday at 5 p.m., 100 people can gather indoors while 200 people can gather outdoors.

North Carolina is still targeting June 1 to lift all mandatory social distancing, capacity and mass gathering restrictions. But as the state withdraws some restrictions, others will remain in place — chiefly, wearing masks in indoor settings.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said the state will not lift the face mask requirement for indoor settings until at least two-thirds of adults in the state have at least one dose of the vaccine and COVID-19 trends are stable.

As of Friday, data from NCDHHS shows about 39 percent of adults in North Carolina are fully vaccinated and nearly 50 percent have received at least one dose. Regardless of whether the state hits the vaccination target by June 1, Cooper said North Carolina will move forward with removing COVID-19 restrictions.

“That is the plan,” Cooper said, “It would be great if we had two-thirds vaccinated by then, but we probably won’t, [so] we will still on June 1 continue the indoor mask mandate. When we get to two-thirds vaccinated, we’re hoping to lift the indoor mask mandate. That’s our goal and we look forward to that day.”

Here’s how the order will affect the Orange County area

In the Orange County community, Chapel Hill Transit announced it is removing the capacity limits on buses. Face coverings will still be required, but the transit system will no longer enforce social distancing or close off seating areas.

In addition, high school athletes will no longer be required to wear face masks during competition. Student-athletes can wear face masks if they choose, but it will no longer be enforced by referees.

 

Featured image via Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP

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