Orange County extends state of emergency; Chapel Hill Halloween could be canceled

On Wednesday, the Orange County Board of Commissioners agreed to extend a state of emergency in effect to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus through Oct. 31.

Posted 6:11 p.m. Aug 19, 2020 — Updated 8:20 p.m. Aug 19, 2020

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — On Wednesday, the Orange County Board of Commissioners agreed to extend a state of emergency in effect to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus through Oct. 31.

The county went to a state of emergency on March 13 and has extended the order multiple times as cases of the virus multiply statewide. The declaration requires that a face covering be worn in public in the county. It significantly exempts state government offices or local education agencies.

About 65% of the Town of Chapel Hill is located in Orange County, and cases of the coronavirus on the University of North Carolina campus there and in off-campus student housing prompted the university earlier this week to move undergraduate classes to online-only and to ask students to consider leaving town.

In extending the order, commissioners did not mention Chapel Hill's annual Halloween celebration, which regularly draws tens of thousands of costumed celebrants to Franklin Street. The City of Raleigh on Tuesday canceled all large, public events through Dec. 31, including the annual tree lighting and First Night celebrations.

A Chapel Hill spokesman said town officials would have an official statement on the annual Halloween celebration at some future time.

"A large crowd gathering downtown will not lend itself to proper safety precautions and adherence to the emergency order, given today’s extension," said Ran Northam, interim communications manager for the Town of Chapel Hill. "You can expect messaging from the town as the date gets closer to further discourage a crowed gathering downtown."

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