Governors of at least 16 states have ordered their residents to stay at home or "shelter in place" to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, and a growing number of people in Durham are calling on Gov. Roy Cooper to do the same in North Carolina.
The movement started when Kathryn Pollak wrote to Cooper and then encouraged her neighbors to follow suit.
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"I have been just concerned that we need to be even more proactive," Pollak said Tuesday. "Whatever we do, the sooner we do it, the better we are."
Mecklenburg County officials aren't waiting on the governor, issuing their own shelter-in-place proclamation on Tuesday. It calls for people to stay home, starting Thursday morning, unless they have to shop for groceries or visit the doctor – or work in an essential business such as for a health care provider or a supermarket.
Pollak's email to her neighbors has been shared by dozens of neighborhood groups across Durham, inspiring others to take action.
"I think it’ll save lives, and that’s what I said to the governor," Steve Goldberg said. "You want to slow down the spread as soon as possible. So, is it too late? No. Stop. Stop interacting with people in ways that don’t make sense."
"I want people to shelter in place so they don’t make other people sick," said Barbara Benagh, who was recently released from a six-day stay in a local hospital for a case of the flu and was told to isolate herself at home.
"I feel that, if that’s what they’re saying to me, then there are other people who are equally vulnerable – many, of all ages, that are equally vulnerable," Benagh said. "I just find the cavalier attitude of 'Nobody’s going to tell me what to do,' I find it not the time or place.
"I’m kind of with Mr. Rogers – let’s be good neighbors," she added.
Pollak said North Carolinians and all Americans need to put aside their individualistic tendencies and work toward the collective good of the country.
"It helps to have the leader of our state say, 'Please stay home. Please protect others,'" she said. "[The governor is] in a tough spot, and he wants to know, 'Is this what my state wants?' The more representatives who let him know this is what we want, the more confident he’s going to feel that he’s doing right by his residents."
Dory MacMillan, a spokeswoman for Cooper, said that, while there are no current plans for a shelter-in-place order for the state, it's something that will be re-evaluated as the situation evolves.
"The governor's priority is protecting public health and keeping people safe. We are considering and preparing for each scenario," MacMillan said in an email.
The North Carolina Healthcare Association, which represents hospitals across the state asked Cooper on Monday to issue a shelter-in-place order before hospitals are overrun with COVID-19 patients needing care. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Chamber said such an order should be a "last resort" because of the economic impact it would have on the state.
"We’re trying to preserve American lives, right? For a short period of time, we’re going to have to live in a way that doesn’t feel good," Goldberg said. "I’m willing to take that inconvenience, and I think other people should be as well."