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North Carolina’s numbers continue to show improvement and vaccine distribution is increasing. As a result, on Feb. 24, Governor Roy Cooper announced the state will ease some of its COVID-19 restrictions.

Executive Order No. 195 took effect Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. It will expire March 26 at 5 pm.

The modified stay at home order requiring people to stay at home and businesses to close to the public between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. is lifted.

Social gatherings indoors increase from 10 to 25, while 50 remains the limit for outdoors.

Sale of alcohol for onsite consumption must stop at 11 p.m. instead of 9 p.m.

Executive Order No. 195 has two general categories of occupancy restrictions: 30% capacity and 50% capacity. Because indoor spaces have a higher risk of spread for COVID-19, indoor facilities in the 30%-occupancy category may not exceed two hundred fifty (250) people per indoor room or indoor space.

30% capacity limit (may not exceed 250-persons in indoor spaces): bars, meeting, reception and conference spaces, lounges (including tobacco) and night clubs, indoor areas of amusement parks, movie theatres, entertainment facilities (e.g., bingo parlors, gaming establishments). Sports arenas and fields and venues with indoor event venues with more than 5,000 seats may be excepted from the 250-person limit if they follow additional safety measures up to 15% capacity.

50% Capacity Limit: restaurants, breweries, wineries, distilleries, fitness and physical activity facilities (e.g., gyms, bowling alleys, rock climbing facilities), pools, museums and aquariums, retailers, outdoor areas of amusement parks, salons, personal care and tattoo parlors.

Safety protocols such as masks, social distancing and frequent handwashing will continue to be important as people adjust to the new order, health officials said.

A statewide mask mandate is still in place.

Across North Carolina, 11,137 people have died from coronavirus as of Feb. 25.

People hospitalized with COVID-19 number 1,498, a dramatic decline. On Jan. 25, the number hospitalized was 3,368.

New cases numbered 3,351.

And the percentage of positive tests to the number of tests taken dropped to 4.5% for the first time since Sept. 24.

Vaccinations: North Carolina is vaccinating all people in Groups 1 and 2, which include health care workers, long-term care staff and residents and people 65 and older.

On Feb. 24, vaccine eligibility for people in Group 3 started in some counties for teachers and child care workers. Additional frontline essential workers become eligible March 10.

In Dare County as of Feb. 21, 821 people in Groups 1 and 2 are currently scheduled for vaccination and 2,206 people are on the waiting list. The Dare Health Division will continue vaccinating Phase 1 and 2. For the week of March 1, Dare is receiving an extra 500 doses to bring the total to 1,000 vaccinations for that week. If that level of doses continues to be provided, the waiting list in Phases 1 and 2 will be finished and essential worker vaccinations may start March 10.

Dare County educators, law enforcement and other frontline workers have received two doses of vaccine and are now concluding the two-week waiting period. Dare County public schools reopen for in-person education March 1, 2021.

In Dare County, those who are qualified to receive the vaccine can register online at darenc.com/Register4vaccine or call 252-475-5008. Those who register will be called to schedule an appointment.

The Walgreens location at 5312 Virginia Dare Trail, Kitty Hawk, is participating in the nationwide program for COVID-19 vaccinations. Go to walgreens.com for more information and to make an appointment at the Kitty Hawk location.

Dare County –  As of Feb. 25, 2021, Dare County’s death count is now 14 persons. A hospitalize person died Feb. 24.

The total number of cumulative COVID-19 cases in Dare County is 2,771. On Feb. 25, eight new cases, all residents, were reported.

Active positive resident cases number 34 according to the county’s dashboard, with 31 in home isolation and three hospitalized.

As of Feb. 22, 8,256 first doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Dare County. Second doses numbering 4,831 have been administered, according to the state’s dashboard.

At Feb. 25, the Dare County Detention Center, Peak Resources in Nags Head and Spring Arbor in Kill Devil Hills remain on the outbreak list.

Hyde County – In Hyde County, telephone numbers for registering for a vaccination and to make an appointment are 252-926-4467 on the mainland and 252-489-3622 on Ocracoke.

On Feb. 26, Hyde County Health Department reported 639 total cumulative cases with eight active positive cases. Deaths remain at eight persons. No new cases were reported as of Friday.

Some 1,125 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered and 667 second doses, according to the state’s vaccine page. Health director Luana Gibbs reports she is very pleased with how the vaccination campaign is going.

Tyrrell County – Martin-Tyrrell-Washington Health District writes that Tyrrell County, as of Feb. 22, has 29 active COVID-19 cases. Six individuals have died in the county due to coronavirus. No new cases were reported Feb. 25, 2021.

Tyrrell House, a residential care facility, remains on the congregant living outbreak list.

In Tyrrell County, 616 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine and 288 second doses have been administered as of Feb. 25, 2021, on the state’s dashboard.

Health director Wes Gray writes that Tyrrell will receive 100 first and second doses the week of March 1. Additionally, Martin General, Creswell Primary Care and the Washington Regional Medical Center will each receive 100 first doses. Agape also has been allocated 200 doses for their clinics in Beaufort and Martin Co.

Kim A. Schwartz, chief executive officer of Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center, reports her agency has been allocated 100 doses for Creswell Primary Care.

Gray also writes “The Martin County Health Department and the Martin General Hospital will also receive close to 1,810 doses for special events. We are planning a joint mass vaccine clinic in Williamston at Riverside High School on March 6th to use these additional doses.”

Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank counties – Albemarle Regional Health Services has posted the following case information as of Feb. 26:

Camden: 578 lab-confirmed cases, with 20 cases now active. Camden County has lost five people to the coronavirus. As of Feb. 19, in Camden County, first dose vaccines administered number 2,295 and second doses 999, according to Albemarle Regional.

Currituck: 1,366 total lab-confirmed cases. Some 34 cases are active. Currituck County has lost 15 people to coronavirus. In Currituck County, 5975 first vaccine doses have been administered doses and 3,671 second doses, according to Albemarle Regional on Feb. 19.

Currituck Health and Rehabilitation Center remains on the outbreak list.

Pasquotank: 3,047 lab-confirmed cases. Active cases number 36. COVID-related deaths in the county number 77 people, reflecting four more deaths. In Pasquotank, 8,7436 vaccine first doses and 4,732 second doses have been administered, according to the state’s dashboard. Elizabeth City Health and Rehabilitation, Waterbrooke and Brookdale Elizabeth City remain on the congregant living outbreak list as is Albemarle District Jail.

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