People in Durham and around the world are adjusting to new realities imposed by emergency efforts to contain the coronavirus.
Durham County Board Chair Wendy Jacobs announced an expanded emergency policy Saturday, extending a stay-at-home order for nonessential workers put in place two days ago by the city government and adding new requirements for local businesses and child care facilities.
9th Street Journal’s Bella Hutchins reports that the new measures officially broaden workplace requirements to parts of Durham that are outside the city’s jurisdiction. The county’s order goes into effect Sunday at 5 p.m.
Jacobs said the county’s rules and requirements are more stringent than a stay-at-home order issued Friday by Gov. Roy Cooper. Within the boundaries of Durham, she emphasized, local rules supersede the governor’s order, which takes effect Monday.
Efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus in Durham and across the state come as hundreds of thousands of North Carolina residents are suddenly jobless, and they are swarming to apply for unemployment benefits. But the first steps have not been easy, either by phone or on a state website, 9th Street Journal’s Cameron Beach reports.
At top: The message is clear at a playground in Walden Pond subdivision in Durham: Stay away. Photo by Corey Pilson