ELIZABETHTOWN — Not satisfied the message of health experts is reaching the masses, Gov. Roy Cooper says new rules will be in place Monday afternoon at 5.
Retail stores still in operation will have to restrict capacity to five people per 1,000 square feet of retail space, or 20 percent of fire marshal posted occupancy limits. And, they’ll have to mark 6 feet of distance for areas where people are likely to gather, such as checkout lines.
“North Carolina continues to take strong action to slow the spread of COVID-19, and today’s order will help make stores safer,” Cooper said.
He also issued directives related to nursing homes and unemployment benefits.
Cooper had already banned gatherings of more than 10. But at checkout lines and other places in grocers and big-box retailers, that directive had pretty much failed.
In Bladen County, commerce has slowed to a trickle. The few stores that are open have dramatically reduced workforce. The 100 block of Broad Street in Elizabethtown, normally full of parked cars no matter the day, seldom has more than a half dozen at any hour of any day.
“It looks like a Sunday,” said one shopkeeper.
In his order, Cooper defined “retail establishments” still able to operate under Executive Order No. 121 — that’s the one issued March 27, and included the reduction on gatherings to less than 10 — as those whereby customers enter to purchase goods or services. This can be grocery stores, convenience stores, large-format retail stores, pharmacies, banks, ABC stores, hardware stores and vehicle dealerships. It also includes retail establishments operated by the state, its political subdivisions, or its agencies, the order says.
For the directive of 20 percent of state fire capacity or 5 people per 1,000 square feet, no instruction for which to follow was given. This number will be called “emergency maximum occupancy” and is to be posted at a “conspicuous place.” If capacity is near or expected to be reached, the store must station a part of its staff at the door to enforce the limit.
The order says the 6-foot markers must be clearly marked at checkout lines and other high-traffic areas, such as deli counters and high-volume products.
Coupled with those two parts of the order, a store that has a line outside because it has reached emergency maximum occupancy must have the waiting line to get in clearly marked in 6-foot increments.
Cooper also directed these businesses to perform frequent and routine environmental cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas with a disinfectant approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The order did not create a new way for businesses to be open which were previously shuttered, and it amends all local prohibitions and restrictions that conflict with it, including the maximum occupancy. It is effective at 5 p.m. Monday and runs for 30 days.
The order doesn’t require but does encourage implementing hygiene recommendations for employees and customers, designated shopping times for high-risk groups, and creating barriers between customers and employees at checkout.
“We want to ensure that retail stores are as safe as possible for everyone, so that no one is afraid to go out for basic necessities,” Cooper said.
The part of the order for long-term care facilities cancels communal activities, including group meals; employees and essential personnel must have their temperature taken before entering the facility; specific personal protective equipment is required inside the facility; and residents must be monitored closely for health indicators of COVID-19, such as temperature.
Gov. Roy Cooper said stores still open will have to abide by new rules, starting Monday. They are being implemented to further enforce social distancing of 6 feet.