Governor Roy Cooper, D-NC address the crowd during the Rally for Respect outside the North Carolina Legislative Building on May 16, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Sara D. Davis | Getty Images
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued a stay-at-home order Friday and closed the state’s nonessential businesses in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The order goes into effect 5:00 pm Monday, but Cooper urged residents to begin staying at home immediately.
“It’s what we have to do to save lives,” he said at a press briefing Friday.
Residents will still be able to leave for essential reasons, including to get food or medicine, according to Cooper. People will also be able to leave their homes for outdoor exercise or to help others.
North Carolina has 763 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and has had three deaths from the virus, according to data compiled by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Overall, 23 states have issued stay-at-home orders or advisories that have included the closure of their nonessential businesses. Several states have cities or counties under stay-at-home orders in the absence of a statewide one.
Seven states and Washington, D.C. only have essential businesses in operation, but have not ordered residents to remain at home. Alabama became the latest state to take this measure as Governor Kay Ivey ordered the closure of nonessential businesses such as nightclubs, fitness centers and barbershops on Friday. The order is effective March 28 at 5:00 pm.
There are at least 97,028 coronavirus cases in the U.S., with at least 1,475 deaths, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. surpassed China and Italy Thursday in numbers of coronavirus cases.
Source: Business - cnbc.com
