NC Gov. Eases Restrictions; All Businesses Allowed to Reopen
Since the rate of daily coronavirus infection cases in North Carolina has been going down for weeks now, NC Gov. Roy Cooper has eased down some restrictions. The governor is quite confident with his decision to move the state forward under eased restrictions since vaccine distribution has also made progress. Yet the Governor Cooper wants North Carolinians to go about doing everything safely, by keeping the state’s mandate of requiring everyone to wear protective mask while in public places.
While all businesses are allowed to reopen, the governor’s Executive Order No. 204 still prescribes safe distancing of at least 6 feet between staff and customers. Other safety protocols must be observed, including adhering to occupancy restrictions.
Retail and personal care businesses, museums and aquariums are permitted to operate at 100% capacity. Indoor amusement parks, restaurants, gyms and pools can operate at 75% capacity, while only those in outdoor settings are allowed to operate at 100% capacity. Bars, pubs, nightclubs, moviehouses and sports venues can operate with limited capacity; generally at less than 50% for indoor areas but up to 100% in outdoor locations.
Although the trend of the Old North State’s COVID-19 statistics shows a decline, significant spread in some communities is still occurring, particularly among the younger age groups. Nonetheless, at least 31.7% of above 18-years old North Carolinians have been administered with at least one dose, while the vaccination drive continues to make progress.
North Carolina’s Safety Measures for Out-of-State Visitors
Out-of-state visitors whether travelling to North Carolina for a business trip or leisure, are advised to first check with the local government of the NC community to where they are going. As some areas still have high levels of coronavirus spread, travellers should find out first if there are additional restrictions in place.
Moreover, out-of-state visitors are advised to download the Slow Covid NC app, so they can receive notification in case they may have been inadvertently exposed to a detected case of infection. The state gives assurance that the app does not require users to provide personally identifiable information.
Another recommended resource for up-to-date information about traffic and road conditions as well as about North Carolina’s driving and safety laws, is the state’s DriveNC.gov website. As it is, there are certain guidelines that must be observed, particularly in connection with motor vehicle insurance laws.
The state and local police authorities are quite strict in enforcing general safety guidelines that must be observed by motorists when driving in North Carolina’s roads. Primarily because most of the Old North State’s rural roads are regarded perilous, NC’s auto insurance requirements include carrying a non-owners insurance coverage when driving a rented or borrowed car.
Actually, the state’s insurance laws do not acknowledge out-of-state liability insurance coverage as acceptable. That being the case, visitors looking to travel by way of a private vehicle will have to take a rental car or borrow one that is registered with the NC Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in order to have proper minimum liability insurance coverage.
Purchasing a non-owners insurance policy can be done online, to which we recommend nonownersinsurancenc.com, where visitors can purchase the cheapest non-owners insurance policy in NC.