After being in place since March 2020 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of emergency order laying out Orange County’s response to the coronavirus now has an end date.

As part of a technical correction to reflect the latest changes to the county’s indoor mask mandate, Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners Renée Price officially set the declaration of a state of emergency to expire at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 1. The date can be shifted if the declaration is extended or rescinded earlier.

Orange County, as well as the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, initially issued state of emergency orders on March 13, 2020. The move allowed the local governments to quickly shift personnel to respond to early COVID-19 cases and to prepare for the community’s larger response. That included shifting resources to a local emergency center and helping the Orange County Health Department with the eventual rollout of COVID-19 testing, vaccine distribution and more. Orange County’s order came just three days after Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency for North Carolina due to the virus.

The latest changes to the order, including the establishment of an expiration date, came as the county transitions to a more mask-optional phase of its COVID-19 response. The mask mandate for most indoor public spaces, re-enacted in August 2021 to limit a renewed spread of the virus, was largely lifted on Monday evening. County leaders and local health officials pointed to the continued decline in coronavirus trends in the wake of the virus’ omicron variant as reasoning for the move. The updated state of emergency order does still recommend face coverings for residents entering indoor public spaces, while masks are still required for anyone in medical facilities, congregate living facilities and public transportation.

In July 2021, the county government announced it was extending the state of emergency indefinitely. While COVID-19 trends were relatively low at the time, the delta variant and omicron variant of COVID-19 each kept the order in place longer. Elected officials also pointed to the order’s ability for local government meetings to be held remotely as another benefit of continuing the order.

The latest edition of Orange County’s Declaration of a State of Emergency can be found here, while the technical correction with the May 1 end date can be found here.

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