RALEIGH – During a Thursday afternoon briefing, Gov. Roy Cooper said he would make long-awaited announcements regarding school reopening plans and the fate of executive orders keeping the state in “phase two” of his reopening plan.
Cooper was joined by N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services secretary Mandy Cohen, who went through updates regarding testing, cases, and hospitalizations. Cohen said the trajectory of COVID-like syndromic cases and the trajectory of confirmed cases were both not where she said she wanted to see them.
Gov. Cooper insinuated that school announcement will feature combination of in-person and remote learning, but did not give specifics to questions asked by multiple reporters, which did not include North State Journal.
Earlier this week, NCDHHS issued an order eliminating the need for a specific order to test for COVID-19, and also authorizes testing sites to receive results directly from laboratories.
“Testing is an important component of the state’s strategy to slow the spread of the virus, and today’s order will make it easier for North Carolinians to get tested,” said NCDHHS state health director Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson.
Today’s briefing also marked 112 days since the last in-person media briefing held by Gov. Cooper.
