Plan to reopen NC amid pandemic draws cheers, jeers

But not everyone supports the plan.

"Ask anyone who heard Cooper’s address today, and there is a resounding sense of questioning of his logic, as there was none – at least none that appears even remotely based on logic or science," Ashley Smith, a co-founder of the ReOpenNC movement, said in a statement.

But Cooper extended his stay-at-home order, which has been in place since March 30 and was scheduled to expire in another week, until May 8. Public health officials hope that added week provides enough time to see downward trends in the number of virus cases, deaths and hospitalizations, he said.

"I thought what he presented was reasonable [and] well thought out. It was based on data," Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said.

Baldwin said she was struck by the fact that 388 new virus cases were reported between Wednesday and Thursday, which officials said is the second-highest daily total so far.

"Folks, we're not out of the woods yet. We're still on that upward trajectory. We need to start leveling out," she said.

Durham Mayor Steve Schewel likewise praised the plan and said Durham County will extend its own stay-at-home order on Friday.

"I am grateful that the context he is putting this in is hitting a bunch of important metrics. I am really impressed with the specificity with which they’ve laid out those metrics," Schewel said.

He declined to provide specifics about the updated Durham County stay-at-home order, saying only that no new requirements would be added and some existing ones would be loosened.

"The governor has made clear that his stay-at-home order is the floor, and he wants each locality to tailor restrictions that are more suitable to them," Schewel said. "For the urban areas, that means we need more restrictions because we’re denser. We have a lot more cases."

Durham County recorded its 500th virus case on Thursday. The county also has nine virus-related deaths.

"These are going to be small measures, but every small measure that we can take to reopen and reopen safely is important," Schewel said.

Cooper's three-phase plan didn't set exact dates or timelines after May 8, only that it would take a few weeks of data collection and watching trends to move from one phase to the next.

Andy Ellen, president of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association, said retailers are chomping at the bit to open back up, scraping by in recent weeks through online orders and curbside pick-up.

"But their No. 1 goal is to keep their employees and their customers safe," Ellen said.

Many of them have watched how supermarkets and pharmacies have operated – they and other "essential" businesses have been allowed to remain open – and have picked up ideas on how to ensure social distancing among customers and employees and proper sanitizing procedures, he said.

"I think you're going to see a very safe. clean environment for the customer and the employee going forward," he said.

Restaurants were some of the first businesses impacted in North Carolina, as they have been limited to drive-thru, takeout or delivery service for more than four weeks. Under Cooper's plan, they cannot start to serve people in their dining rooms for at least another month.

"I have a feeling it is not going to be until June 1 till we can open our doors," said Zack Medford of Isaac Hunter's Hospitality, which runs a number of bars in downtown Raleigh.

"I want to see our restaurants and bars and breweries open back up. I want to see our retail shops open up," Baldwin said. "But it's not safe, and if we can do this in a phased approach, I think that's the best bet we have."

When bars and restaurants do reopen, they will have to limit the number of customers inside for a while to maintain social distancing.

Medford called for some government aid targeted at the hospitality industry to help businesses like his survive until they can return to normal operations.

"When it is safe to go back in the water, we are ready to jump in," said Steve Thanhauser, co-owner of The Angus Barn Restaurant in Raleigh.

As the governor's plan moves forward, Thanhauser said, he hopes business owners are part of the discussion.

"Whatever safe-distancing practices we have to do, we will do for our guests," he said. "But having more specificity on that or being able to give some opinion on that, I think, would be very helpful."

ReOpenNC's Smith slammed the plan, saying it requires six weeks between phases. Cooper listed only two to three weeks between phases one and two and four to six weeks between phases two and three.

"I’m no math wizard, but that puts us at about 18 weeks out – four and a half months," Smith said. "That’s not a plan. That’s a disaster."

"This decision will needlessly crush businesses and destroy livelihoods in places that don’t even have a single case of coronavirus," Forest said in a statement. "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."

Seven of North Carolina's 100 counties haven't yet reported a coronavirus case.

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, who has repeatedly called for the Cooper administration to be more upfront about how they are making decisions during the crisis, echoed Forest in demanding more local flexibility on reopening.

"Unfortunately for the 100 people who called my office today, including the small-business owner who called crying, saying the government might as well kill her business now, Gov. Cooper largely extended the current blanket shutdown through at least June 1 with no local flexibility," Berger, R-Rockingham, said in a statement.

But U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who has clashed with Cooper before, said he respects the plan the governor laid out.

"Governor Cooper’s plan is in line with the White House Coronavirus Task Force’s recommended guidance for states to reopen," Tillis said in a statement. "So many families and small businesses are suffering right now, and I share the urgency of many North Carolinians to get our economy back up and running as soon as possible. At the same time, the worst thing that could happen is for us to have a significantly worse second spike that results in more loss of life and forces another shutdown of our economy."

In an interview with WRAL News, he questioned the moves of officials in South Carolina and Georgia to start reopening businesses this week.

"These governors in other states that are moving quickly should at least stay within the guardrails that the CDC, the COVID Task Force and the president have put forth," he said. "Do it in a way that doesn't create the risk of having that double-hump, that second peak. We want to avoid that. We want to get the economy back on track."