Raleigh, N.C. — Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday that North Carolinians will soon no longer have to wear masks outside.
Under an executive order that takes effect at 5 p.m. Friday, masks will still be required when people are indoors, but the statewide mandate won't apply to people who are outdoors. Cooper said people are still encouraged to wear masks outside when they're in large groups with little distancing.
The executive order also raises the limit on how many people can gather to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors. The limits have been 50 indoors and 100 outdoors since late March.
"We have more work to do to beat back this pandemic," Cooper said, noting that the state's metrics have leveled off in recent weeks.
The state has averaged 1,858 new coronavirus infections and 20 virus-related deaths a day over the last week. The rolling average of new cases is about 100 per day higher than a month ago but is nearly 7,000 fewer a day than the state's peak in early January.
The mask announcement comes one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its mask guidelines, saying fully vaccinated Americans don't need to cover their faces outdoors anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers.
North Carolina continues to be on the path to lift even more pandemic-related restrictions come June, Cooper said.
Last week, he said the state could remove capacity limits for businesses, mass gathering limits and distancing requirements in June if at least two-thirds of adults statewide have had at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine.
As of Tuesday, about 49 percent of adults in North Carolina have had one dose of vaccine, and 39 percent are fully vaccinated, according to data from the state Department of Health and Human Services. More than three-quarters of senior citizens statewide have had at least one dose, with 72 percent fully vaccinated.
"We know that is not a herd immunity level," DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said of the two-thirds target. "But we believe that is enough protection in our community that we can live with this virus."
Cohen acknowledged that vaccination rates are slowing across the state – a week ago, 47 percent percent of adults had one dose of vaccine – so the state is ramping up its education and encouragement efforts.
Mass vaccination clinics with lines and scheduled appointments are no longer the focus, she said. Rather, officials want to ensure everyone has the ability to get a shot within 5 miles of their home, preferably with walk-in clinics.
"Let's work hard in May and get as many people vaccinated as we can before summer gets here," Cooper said.
Wedding venues toasted the increase in people allowed at gatherings, which comes as the spring wedding season kicks into high gear.
“The journey has been emotional," Aimee Flynn, owner of the Parlour at Manns Chapel in Chapel Hill, said of a year of pandemic restrictions on operations. "Here we are. The day is finally here."
Flynn said she couldn't wait to share the eased restrictions with couples.
Max Fenske and his wife, Lea, were originally supposed to marry last May, but restrictions didn't allow for large gatherings. They ended up getting married in front of their closest family, but now they can have the reception of their dreams.
"Because we pushed it back a few times now, we almost didn’t think this day would come. It was just like continuing to kick the can down the road," Fenske said. "Knowing that, hopefully, there is that normalcy on the horizon ... it’s going to be special to know that there’s not going to be that much red tape, [and] you can really feel like you’re genuinely celebrating with everyone."
The Parlour at Manns Chapel has stayed afloat through the pandemic by hosting elopements and micro-weddings, Flynn said.
"It just makes us realize, as businesses owners, that we did it," she said. "We stayed focused on our community and connected to our couples, and it’s just good news.”
WRAL multimedia journalist Leslie Moreno contributed to this report.
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