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At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen announced that effective October 2, large outdoor venues would be permitted to open at 7% capacity with key safety precautions in place.

“The announcement was made today so these locations could begin putting safety measures in place in order to operate,” stated a press release from the governor’s office.

The announcement stated that large entertainment venues are those that can seat over 10,000.

“We will continue analyzing our data and indicators as we determine how to move forward safely in other areas that may be included in the new order on October 2nd. In it, we hope to ease some other restrictions, while still keeping safety protocols like masks, social distancing and mass gathering limits in place,” said Cooper.

”With more things open and people moving around more, we need everyone to stay vigilant about wearing a mask, waiting six feet apart, and washing their hands often,” said Cohen. “Our progress is fragile and will take our continued hard to work to protect it.”

State and public health officials will continue watching the key COVID-19 trends over the next week to determine if further restrictions can be eased when the current Executive Order expires October 2 at 5 p.m.

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