LUMBERTON, NC ( WBTW) – Five weeks after a statewide stay-at-home order went into effect in North Carolina to slow the spread of novel coronavirus, the state will begin easing restrictions on businesses this week, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday.
I spoke with the owner of New York’s Finest Fashion store in Lumberton and he says since day one of this pandemic he and his staff made sure to abide by CDC guidelines.
“We miss the faces that we used to see. There’s a lot of people I haven’t seen in a while,” says Nashat Abdelaziz.
Abdelaziz has been in the retail business for about 15 years and he says he has never seen anything like this but he is ready to see his customers again. “I know all of them by name so I would love to call them by there name when they come in,” Abdelaziz says.
“We believe the data shows us now is the time to begin easing restrictions,” Cooper said during a press briefing Tuesday evening.
“We have flattened the curve, but we haven’t eliminated COVID-19,” says Cooper. “We’ll continue the stay-at-home order because its best for people stay at home, especially those with underlying health conditions.”
In a tweet from Governor Roy Cooper, he says:
North Carolina will move into Phase One at 5 PM on Friday, May 8. Learn more about what this means for you and your family below. A list of guidelines followed.
I spoke with someone who works at Precious Angels Daycare in Lumberton and she says the staff is making sure they wipe everything down and making sure staff and children wash their hands. They are even taking staff and children’s temperatures before they enter the building and during the day. I was also told that if children or staff have a temperature at all they will not be allowed in the building.
Again, Phase One will start on Friday, May 8, 2020.
