Staying Ahead of the Curve
North Carolina is taking a three-phased approach – based on data from testing, tracing and trends and in consultation with members of the business community – to lift restrictions in place to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and save lives.
Safer at Home: About Phase 2
Effective 5 p.m., Friday May 22, North Carolina has moved into Safer At Home Phase 2 of lifting COVID-19 restrictions. The phase runs through at least Friday, June 26 unless changed or canceled. Although the state’s overall key indicators remain stable, the continued increases in daily case counts signals a need to take a more modest step forward in Phase 2 than originally envisioned.
- View Phase 2 frequently asked questions (English | Spanish)
- View what Phase 2 means for North Carolina
- View public health guidance for Phase 2, including guidance for places of worship and religious services
- View Executive Order 141 (English | Spanish)
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 (effective 5 p.m. May 22) | |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial activity | People should only leave home for essential purposes (e.g., food, medicine) | More businesses are open |
| Retail | 50% capacity allowed with cleaning and social distancing | 50% capacity allowed with cleaning and social distancing; view guidance |
| Gatherings | 10-person limit; gathering outdoors with friends allowed | 10-person limit indoors; 25-person limit outdoors |
| Child care | Child care centers open for working parents or those looking for work | Open for all children; view guidance |
| Teleworking | Encouraged | Encouraged |
| Restaurants | Take-out and delivery | 50% capacity; view guidance |
| Bars and nightclubs | Closed | Closed |
| Barbers, salons and personal-care businesses | Closed | 50% capacity; view guidance |
| Theaters, indoor music venues, bowling alleys, skating rinks, etc. | Closed | Closed |
| Museums | Closed | Closed |
| Gyms and fitness studios | Closed | Closed |
| Large venues, arenas and stadiums | Closed | Open but with restrictions; view guidance |
| Playgrounds | Closed | Closed |
| Pools | Closed | Open but with restrictions; view guidance |
| Day camps | Closed | Open but with restrictions; view guidance |
| Long-term care visitation | Not allowed | Restricted, except for certain compassionate care situations |
| State parks and trails | Opening encouraged | Opening encouraged |
| Face coverings | Encouraged | Encouraged |
Click on a topic below for more information.
Lifting Additional Restrictions
Details of Gov. Roy Cooper's three-phased approach to lift restrictions are outlined below. It is important to note:
- If infections spike or benchmark trends begin to move in the wrong direction, the state may move to a previous phase to protect public health.
- The best science and data available will be used to make all decisions and continue consultation with business and industry leaders.
Social distancing, hand hygiene and use of cloth face coverings will still be recommended. Depending on state COVID-19 trends, restrictions may be lifted more slowly or some restrictions may have to be reinstated to ensure the health and safety of North Carolinians.
Measuring Progress
To continue lifting restrictions, North Carolina needs to see progress in the key metrics in the table below
| Metric | Status (As of June 2, 2020) |
|---|---|
| Sustained leveling or decreased trajectory in COVID-like illness surveillance over 14 days | North Carolina’s syndromic surveillance trend for COVID-like illness is decreasing. |
| Sustained leveling or decreased trajectory of lab-confirmed cases over 14 days | North Carolina’s trajectory of lab-confirmed cases is increasing. |
| Sustained leveling or decreased trajectory in percent of tests returning positive over 14 days | North Carolina’s trajectory of positive tests as a percentage of total tests is level. |
| Sustained leveling or decreased trajectory in hospitalizations over 14 days | North Carolina’s trajectory of hospitalizations is slightly up. |
Additional information is available on the N.C. Department of Health and Human Service's COVID-19 North Carolina Dashboard, where key metrics are updated daily.
Building Future Capabilities
North Carolina will continue building capacity to be able to adequately respond to an increase in virus spread.
| Metric | Status (As of June 2, 2020) |
|---|---|
| Increase in laboratory testing | North Carolina has increased testing with an average of more than 10,0000 tests completed daily over the past week. There are now more than 400 testing sites. |
| Increase in tracing capability | The Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative has already hired more than 200 new contact tracers, adding to the 250 already working at local health departments. |
|
Availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as face shields, gloves, gowns, N95 masks as well as surgical and procedural masks Calculated based on the average number of requests for the last 14 days compared to the supply that the state has on hand |
Supply chain continues to improve. |
Additional information is available on the N.C. Department of Health and Human Service's COVID-19 North Carolina Dashboard.
Funding & Relief
Joined by leaders of the N.C. General Assembly, Gov. Roy Cooper, on May 4, 2020, signed two bipartisan COVID-19 relief bills providing more than $1.5 billion in in emergency funding for critical expenditures related to public health and safety, educational needs, small business assistance and continuity of state government operations.
House Bill 1043 allocates federal funding sent to the state from the CARES Act. It includes:
- $50 million to provide personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies
- $25 million to support enhanced COVID-19 testing and tracing
- $125 million in small business loans administered through the Golden LEAF Foundation
- $50 million in health support for underserved communities including rural areas and minority communities
- $95 million to support North Carolina hospitals
- $20 million to support local health departments and the State Health Lab
- $75 million for school nutrition programs
- $70 million for summer learning programs
- $30 million for local schools to purchase computers and other devices for students
- $6 million for food banks
- $9 million for rural broadband
- $85 million for vaccine development, antibody testing, community testing, and other COVID-19-related research at Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, Campbell University, and Wake Forest University
Senate Bill 704 contains provisions to help North Carolinians. It includes:
- An extension of driver’s license and registration expiration deadlines
- Waived interest on tax payments normally due in April
- Modifies end-of-grade testing requirements for public schools
- Adjusts the 2020-21 K-12 public school calendar
- Allows pharmacists to administer a COVID-19 vaccine once it is developed
Related Resources
News Releases
- As Key Indicators Remain Stable, North Carolina Moves to Safer At Home Phase 2 (May 20, 2020)
- North Carolina's Key COVID-19 Indicators Remain Stable (May 14, 2020)
- Governor Cooper Announces Modified Stay At Home Order and Transition to Phase 1 of Easing Restrictions (May 5, 2020)
- Governor Cooper Signs COVID-19 Relief Bills Into Law (May 4, 2020)
- Cooper Urges North Carolinians to Stay Vigilant (April 30, 2020)
- Governor Proposes $1.4B COVID-19 Relief Package (April 24, 2020)
- Governor Plans Three-Phase Lifting of Restrictions Based on Virus Trends (April 23, 2020)
- Governor Shares Path Forward for North Carolina (April 15, 2020)
Presentations
- Slideshow Summary of Trends (May 20, 2020)
- Slideshow Summary of Trends (May 14, 2020)
- Slideshow Summary of Trends (May 5, 2020)
- Slideshow Summary of Trends (April 30, 2020)
- Slideshow Summary of Budget Recommendation (April 24, 2020)
- Slideshow Summary of Approach for Moving Forward (April 23, 2020)
- Slideshow Summary on Testing, Tracing & Trends (April 15, 2020)
Legislation
- Senate Bill 704 (Signed May 4, 2020)
- House Bill 1043 (Signed May 4, 2020)
Documents
- Governor's Full Budget Recommendation Money Report (April 24, 2020)
- Governor's Budget Recommendation Provision List (April 24, 2020)
Videos
- Governor Signs COVID-19 Relief Bills Into Law (May 4, 2020)
- Governor Announces Multi-Phase Approach to Easing Restrictions (April 23, 2020)
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