Wake stay-at-home order extended to April 30 as local pandemic peak delayed

The order had been set to expire Friday.

"There are some who felt it was very important for their congregants to be able to get together," Ford said..

Essential businesses that have remained open must continue to follow state rules on limiting the number of customers inside, keeping them separated and conducting extensive cleaning, he said.

Ford said that, although the stay-at-home order has been extended for the public's safety, people isolating themselves appears to be helping slow the spread of the virus.

The modifications "reflect positive trend data and citizens’ successful efforts" to slow the rate of infections, he said. Between March 17 and April 8, the doubling rate of COVID-19, the illness associated with the virus, has gone from about 3.5 days to about eight days, he said.

That slower spread has pushed the expected peak of the pandemic locally back into May, however, necessitating that restrictions on being out in public continue, Ford said.

"We are not over the hill at all," he said.

Initial projections called for the rate of growth in virus cases to top out around Easter.

"Because of citizens really great following adherence to our public health order, we know we have been able to push that off," he said. "We are currently looking at somewhere in May. We don’t know exactly when – nobody does – but what we do know is that our current practices are working."

Stay-at-home orders: Here's what they mean

Gov. Roy Cooper's statewide stay-at-home order remains in effect until April 30. That order allows local orders like Wake County's to take precedence if their rules are stricter.

Although Wake County is loosening its regulations for "non-essential" businesses, the statewide order includes "businesses that meet social distancing requirements" among those on the "essential" list that can continue to operate during the pandemic.

County officials used data tracking cellphone usage, demand for health care and local hospital capacity to determine that more than a third of county residents are complying with the stay-at-home order, which is slightly higher than they said they expected.

"Reasoning for allowing delivery and curbside pickup is based on feedback from the community and the expressed desire to allow additional businesses to have an increased service level while employing social distancing practices," officials said in a presentation made before deciding on extending the order.

Evelyn Davis, owner of Briggs Hardware in Raleigh, said said she had to get creative to keep her business going during the stay-at-home restrictions, selling groceries like eggs and milk instead of the usual hammers and nails.

"I really thought sales were going to plummet, but I shifted the course of the ship," Davis said. "Most of the businesses are struggling now."

Davis said she recently talked with owners at other businesses around her.

"Some missed rent already," she said, adding, "I don't see them lifting [the stay-at-home] order anytime soon."

All 15 Wake County mayors support the extended stay-at-home order and its modifications, Ford said.

Stay-at-home orders for Durham and Orange counties, among many others, are already scheduled to run through April 30.