In recent days, I have received messages from several residents imploring me to issue an order to “reopen” Wake Forest. Although I am very sensitive to such requests and recognize the hardships our residents and businesses are experiencing, an order from me that is less stringent than Governor Cooper’s would – for all intents and purposes – be useless. Any time there are differences between the state's Stay-at-Home order and an order from the county or a municipality, we are obligated to adhere to the stricter regulation.
Over the past few weeks, we have worked closely with Wake County and their public health officials to navigate these unprecedented times. That partnership has allowed us to make considerable progress keeping our community safe, while moving ever closer towards "reopening" Wake Forest.
Wake County’s stay-at-home order ends tonight at midnight, easing restrictions for residents starting Friday. Moving forward, Wake Forest residents and Wake County’s more than one million people will follow North Carolina’s less restrictive stay-at-home order, which (for example) allows gatherings up to 10 people, funerals of up to 50 people instead of 25 and all retail stores to open as long as they observe social distancing and capacity requirements.
Additionally, since Wake County will have the same order as the state, it will be easier for our businesses as they try to reopen and operate because they will only have to deal with one set of regulations.
Now that we can see the "light at the end of the tunnel," it's important we remain steadfast. Gov. Cooper has announced a reasonable plan to gradually reopen the state, so let's continue doing our part to ensure we don't waste the incredible progress we've worked so hard to achieve.
