Mecklenburg lifts stay-at-home order, NC restrictions still in effect. Here’s what changes.

Mecklenburg’s local stay-at-home order will be lifted on Wednesday, loosening restrictions on funerals, some businesses and recreational activities that are allowed under Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order.

The state of North Carolina remains under a stay-at-home order, a move health officials say will help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The county’s health director on Tuesday urged continued social distancing but stopped short of ordering people to to wear masks.

The decision to rescind the local order means Mecklenburg’s rules will match Cooper’s, said county Manager Dena Diorio on Tuesday.

“We think it’s time for us to lift those restrictions and move in line with the governor’s order,” Diorio said.

Mecklenburg’s stay-at-home order — which covered Charlotte and the county’s six towns — was stricter than the statewide coronavirus order.

The state’s order allows increased flexibility to car dealerships, Realtors, vape shops, bookstores, and furniture stores, among other businesses, Diorio told Mecklenburg County commissioners on Tuesday afternoon. Retail stores can also begin reopening through curbside pickup, she said. And the change will permit stores that sell or services cell phones and computers to reopen.

Religious services and counseling are allowed, though gatherings are still limited to 10 people. To promote “human dignity and limit suffering,” funerals can now have 50 people, according to the state’s order.

Sports courts that use shared equipment — including for tennis — can “conditionally” reopen, Diorio said. Previously, Mecklenburg had closed access to some parks and recreation amenities, such as basketball and tennis courts.

All businesses are required to keep employees and customers at least six feet away from one another and are expected to clean “high-touch surfaces” regularly, the county said in a news statement announcing the change Tuesday.

Businesses deemed essential, according to the county, should facilitate “online or remote access by customers if possible.”

Confusing differences

County Commissioner Pat Cotham said residents have struggled to navigate the differences between the local and state stay-at-home orders. Mecklenburg’s restrictions began several days before the governor’s executive order, which took effect March 30.

“I think the governor’s plan is more than adequate,” Cotham said. “I think it will reduce the confusion, and the result of that is people will follow the order better than they have.”

Cooper last week announced a three-phase approach that could gradually loosen restrictions and reopen the economy — contingent on the availability of coronavirus testing and supply of personal protective equipment, among other benchmarks. But the stay-at-home order will stay in place until at least late May, the governor said.

Also Tuesday, court officials said they would resume marriage ceremonies at the courthouse. The services will take place on Mondays and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., by appointment only. Six slots will be available both days, meaning the ceremonies will be limited to 30 minutes. Wedding parties will be limited to four people: the happy couple and the required two witnesses.

Mecklenburg’s “Stay at Home Order Call Center” is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The number is 704-353-1926. For questions about the state’s stay-at-home order, call 2-1-1.

Push to reopen

Some of Mecklenburg towns, including Matthews and Huntersville, had told Diorio said they would not support extending the local restrictions into May. The county had previously said that its more stringent rules would remain in effect until May 8.

“Rescinding the order was always a possibility,” Diorio said. “We had some conversations with our town managers...yesterday and today, and we came to an agreement.”

The county cannot impose emergency declarations without the consent of the mayors of Charlotte and the six towns, The Charlotte Observer has reported. But County Commissioner Trevor Fuller said the towns’ “veto” power is problematic during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think what we have discovered is there is a hole in our law that, in my view, is a threat to the county’s public health authority,” Fuller said.

This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 4:42 PM.