NC's 'Phase 3' Restrictions To Extend Another 3 Weeks: Cooper

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina will delay further loosening coronavirus restrictions, and will instead stay in "Phase 3" for at least another three weeks, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday.

The "Phase 3" restrictions, which allow movie theaters, outdoor stadiums and amusement parks to open with limited capacity, went into effect Oct. 2 and were set to expire Oct. 23. The news, however, further compounds financial strains for some businesses, such as bars, which will be forced to operate well below capacity levels.

Cooper cited trends "moving in the wrong direction" in making the decision. "We hope that greater enforcement, strong community leadership and more people doing the right things can lower these numbers," he said.

Statewide, COVID-19 numbers continue to rise. Wednesday, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 40 new deaths in the span of a day, increasing the state's death toll to 4,032. The news comes as North Carolina public health officials reported 1,842 newly confirmed coronavirus cases, increasing the state's tally of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases to 250,592 cases.

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Recent increases are some of the highest since the pandemic began in March, DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said. Fueling this, she said, are increases in clusters stemming from family and religious gatherings, she added.

DHHS announced Wednesday it is expanding reporting of COVID-19 clusters on its dashboard to include workplaces, shopping and services, restaurants and bars, as well as religious and social gatherings. DHHS defines a cluster as a minimum of five cases within a 14-day period with a plausible epidemiologic linkage.

As of Wednesday, North Carolina reported at least 76 religious gatherings have been linked to at least 1,040 positive cases and 13 deaths since late May. In that same time, social gatherings in the state have led to at least 23 clusters of 231 positive cases and two deaths.

"I know people want and need to come together, particularly as we head into the holiday season, Cohen said in a statement. "The best defense is to wear a mask every time you are with someone you don’t live with; maintain social distancing, limit any gathering to a small number of people and host it outside; and wash your hands frequently."

As of Oct. 21, there were 1,219 coronavirus patients hospitalized in North Carolina hospitals, 196 more than were reported in state hospitals two weeks ago. Of those currently hospitalized, 337 were COVID-19 adult ICU patients.

Globally, more than 40.9 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 1.1 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday. In the United States, more than 8.2 million people have been infected and more than 221,000 people have died from COVID-19.