NC Gov. Cooper signs three new orders. Here’s what they’ll do.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued three new executive orders on Tuesday that could offer relief for people who are unemployed or in danger of eviction, and for businesses that sell takeout alcohol.
Here’s what each does:
▪ Executive Order 205 extends delivery and takeout mixed drinks through April 30. Restaurants, hotels, private bars and clubs and some distilleries will be able to continue under the new order.
▪ Executive Order 206 brings the state in line with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s extension of the moratorium on residential evictions until June 30.
▪ Executive Order 207 is meant to speed up processing of unemployment insurance claims and is also effective through June 30.
“Even though North Carolina is turning the corner on this pandemic, many are still struggling,” Cooper said in a statement Tuesday. Cooper said the orders will “help families stay in their homes and help hard-hit businesses increase their revenue.”
The to-go cocktails order began Dec. 21, offering some relief to restaurants and bars that had lost business under the governor’s orders related to curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Cooper, a Democrat who has kept North Carolina under a state of emergency for more than a year, has received months of criticism, and legislation, from the Republican-led General Assembly. Republicans pushed for loosened restrictions ahead of Cooper’s schedule and passed several bills to reopen businesses. The governor vetoed them all, though he and lawmakers came to an agreement to reopen schools in March.
Lawmakers are taking on Cooper’s emergency powers again this session with a bill that would require agreement from the Council of State for a long-lasting emergency declaration. Cooper won a lawsuit over the orders last year. The governor’s office press release announcing the new orders notes that the Council of State concurred with orders 205 and 206, which it says was required.
North Carolina is still under a statewide mask mandate, and there are still some capacity rules, but many restrictions have been lifted.
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This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 6:30 PM with the headline "NC Gov. Cooper signs three new orders. Here’s what they’ll do.."