COVID-19 Update: May 8th, 2020
A letter to our members: From the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce
Good news tempered with good sense.
On May 5th, Governor Cooper modified North Carolina’s Stay At Home Executive Order, which began to transition the state to Phase 1 of slowly easing COVID-19 restrictions. Executive Order 138 starts on Friday, May 8 at 5 p.m.
According to a release from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, highlights of Phase 1 include:
- Any retail business may open at 50 percent capacity. Businesses will be required to practice social distancing, perform frequent cleanings, provide hand sanitizer when available, screen workers for symptoms and more.
- People may leave their homes for commercial activity at any business that is open.
- Certain businesses remain closed, including bars, personal care businesses, entertainment venues, and gyms. Restaurants may only continue to serve customers for drive-through, take-out and delivery.
- Teleworking is still encouraged for businesses that can practice it.
- Cloth face coverings are recommended when you leave the house and may be near other people who are not family or household members.
This is obviously good news but we need to temper it with good sense and be aware that the virus has not gone away. What we don’t want is a new wave of infections that might shut everything down again.
We have provided the entire press release and materials from the NCDHHS on our website, at nccoastchamber.com. This includes a business checklist, Frequently Asked Questions, and more.
At this time, our staff continues to work remotely, but we hope to be back in our office in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please contact our staff at the following:
Tom Kies, President: tom@nccoastchamber.com
Julie Naegelen, Membership Director: julie@nccoastchamber.com or 252-723-7745
Katie Richards, Director of Administrative Services: katie@nccoastchamber.com
Anna Smith, Program Manager: anna@nccoastchamber.com
We look forward to all going well and on to Phase 2. If the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce can help you in anyway, please let us know.
Tom Kies