Yesterday, Governor Cooper gave updates about our state's three phased re-opening plan, and announced we'll be entering the second phase this Friday. Changes between the first and second phase include lifting the stay-at-home order at 5pm on Friday, exempting religious and worship services from restrictions, limiting outdoor gatherings to 25 people and indoor gatherings to 10, and allowing some businesses to reopen at 50% of their allowed capacity (includes restaurants, salons, barber shops, retail stores, and swimming pools). However, his announcement also included some changes to the original plan for the second phase, such as removing the re-opening of gyms, movie theaters, and playgrounds.

I share Speaker Moore's statement released yesterday on businesses reopening across North Carolina, and sympathize with the struggles of small business owners across the 7th District. Speaker Moore writes: “All businesses rely on certainty from state government to plan for challenges ahead in any economic circumstance, so it is essential that moving forward our economic response to this pandemic be based in transparent data that considers stark contrasts in urban and rural regions of our state.”