North Carolina transitions into the first phase of easing coronavirus restrictions today at 5 p.m. Gov. Roy Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, announced the new guidelines on Tuesday: retail businesses are allowed to open at 50% capacity with cleaning and social distancing standards, while bars, salons, gyms and entertainment venues will remain closed. People can visit non-family members in small gatherings.
Cooper and Cohen recommended cloth face coverings and social distancing for all interactions outside the home. The modified stay-at-home order aims to ease pressure on the economy while keeping communities safe and healthy, Cooper said.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Rose Hoban, the founder and editor of North Carolina Health News, about the governor’s decision to ease the order and the details of phase one. Hoban shares her reporting on the state’s testing capacity and hospitalizations, as well as pushback to the state’s phased reopening.