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Cornelius News

Gov. Cooper will announce how, when NC reopens

April 23. By Dave Yochum. On April 15, Gov. Cooper shared his plan to gradually reopen the state. Today at 3 pm he will announce specific plans for when and how the social restrictions that have been in place since late March will be lifted.

Exactly what he will say is anybody’s guess.

On April 9 Cooper issued an executive order limiting how many people would be allowed in grocery and retail stores. On March 27, he announced plans for an Executive Order mandating that people stay at home for 30 days until April 29 to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Mecklenburg hotbed

It worked, and North Carolina has flattened the curve around COVID cases and hospital capacity, although Mecklenburg County remains a hotbed of the disease statewide.

There are 1,255 cases in Mecklenburg, up 6 percent from yesterday, according to the Mecklenburg County Health Dept.

Deaths due to the disease reached 35, up from 32 yesterday.

County officials said they will not disclose how many deaths are associated with long-term care facilities, due to privacy concerns.

Statewide there are 7,608 COVID-19 cases today, and 253 deaths, according to the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services. Yesterday the state reported 7,220 cases and 242 deaths in total.

HUNTERSVILLE MAYOR JOHN ANERALLA

Cooper’s order required people to stay at home until April 29.

Fairness issue

Some political leaders are saying it’s time to ease the restrictions so people can get back to work. Huntersville Mayor John Aneralla said it’s fundamentally unfair that stores like WalMart and Harris Teeter remain open while small, “low-touch” retailers—card shops, for example—have been forced to close.

He said a 1,000 square foot card shop is not going to be hotbed of viruses if there are only five people shopping inside, following the same density guideline as a grocery store.

“It’s time to have a discussion of whatever retailers can open up to absorb some of the capacity that has been lost by the other retailers,” he said, explaining that doing so could help smaller retailers survive.

“The mom-and-pops are suffering the most during this crisis,” he said.

Although models differ, county officials say the peak in COVID-19 cases will be sometime in mid- to late June.

How to watch

The governor’s news conference will be live online via UNC-TV’s website at www.unctv.org. Major television stations could also broadcast the governor’s address.