Gov. Roy Cooper issued a statewide stay-at-home order during a Friday afternoon. The order will go in place on Monday at 5pm.
“To continue our aggressive battle to slow the spread of COVID-19, today, I have signed a stay-at-home order for the entire state of North Carolina. Enforcement begins at 5 p.m. on Monday, but we urge you to start as soon as possible,” Cooper said.
The order calls for all North Carolina citizens to reduce their travel, staying home as much as possible. It does not ban essential business or make it illegal for citizens to be outside their homes to get fresh air.
If you do not follow the order you can be punished by a class two misdemeanor, but it is up to local law enforcement and district attorneys to determine how to enforce the order.
“We are all in this together, and in order to protect the health of North Carolinians and get through this crisis as quickly as possible, we must all do our part to contain community spread over the next several weeks. I’ve had discussions with Governor Cooper about the challenge of protecting both the physical and economic health of the state, and the Governor made the difficult, but correct decision to issue a statewide stay-at-home order.
