Amidst mounting pressure from the health care industry, Gov. Roy Cooper declared a statewide stay-at-home order Friday to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“We have to act now in the safest, smartest way while we have the chance to save lives. It is truly a matter of life and death,” Cooper said Friday about his order, which goes into effect on Monday.
9th Street Journal reporter Ben Leonard details the governor’s latest moves here.
Cities and counties, including Durham, have already implemented stay-at-home orders. Durham County commissioners on Friday voted to update their ability to impose limits on county residents during a crisis, including the coronavirus outbreak.
One commissioner suggested that they consider limiting gatherings to fewer than the 10 people that the city of Durham and Gov. Cooper now allow.
During a meeting online, they also heard how county staff are addressing two crises. One is limiting the spread of coronavirus. The second is clean up from a significant ransomware attack that crippled county computer systems this month.
9th Street Journal Bella Hutchins reports more on that here.
At top: Gov. Roy Cooper announced his stepped-up limits on where people can and cannot go at a press conference Friday afternoon.