News

Governor closes schools, bans gatherings of more than 100

By Lightning Reports, Published: March 14, 2020

Gov. Roy Cooper announced an executive order on Saturday directing K-12 public schools across the state to close for two weeks starting Monday. The order also banned mass gatherings of more than 100 people.

The number of confirmed or presumptive positive cases stood at 23 in North Carolina on Saturday with none west of Charlotte. There are 1,694 cases in the U.S. with 41 deaths.

Cooper also appointed an Education and Nutrition Working Group to develop a plan to ensure that children and families are supported while schools are closed. The working group will focus on issues including nutrition, health, childcare access for critical health care and other front-line workers and learning support for children at home.

The Working Group will be co- chaired by Susan Gale Perry, Chief Deputy Secretary of NC DHHS and David Stegall, Ed.D, Deputy State Superintendent of Innovation at DPI, and will have representatives from DPI, NC DHHS, the State Board of Education, as well as other education, nutrition and childcare associations.

“I am standing up this new working group to ensure that children have enough food to eat, families have care in safe places for their young children, and student learning continues,” Cooper said. 

In addition to closing schools, the executive order prohibits mass gatherings that bring together more than 100 people in a single room or space, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, theater, or other confined indoor or outdoor space, including parades, fairs and festivals. Violations of the order are punishable as a Class 2 misdemeanor.

The ban on gatherings does not include airports, bus and train stations, medical facilities, libraries, shopping malls and spaces where people may be in transit. Office environments, restaurants, factories, or retail or grocery stores are also excluded.