RALEIGH – Governor Roy Cooper extended the statewide Stay-at-Home order Thursday, stretching the shutdown order until May 8, at the earliest. That last caveat is important because, although Cooper did outline conditions for reopening, that very plan also exposed the May 8 date as a mere starting point for negotiations using goal posts can move.
Cooper did not afford any local or regional bodies discretion in how their communities my best move forward with weighing the costs and benefits of continued shutdowns, and Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest thinks such a one-size-fits-all approach is a detriment to North Carolinians.
Gov. Cooper’s one-size-fits-all approach for reopening is not necessary for a state as large as North Carolina. This decision will needlessly crush businesses and destroy livelihoods in places that don’t even have a single case of coronavirus.#ncpol #ncga #covid19 #releasethedata
— Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (@LtGovDanForest) April 23, 2020
We shouldn’t be holding back counties that are ready to safely reopen. The governor should re-release the data he presented today at the county level so we can see which areas are ready to reopen without delay. #ncpol #ncga #covid19 #releasethedata
— Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (@LtGovDanForest) April 23, 2020