Public Response to Citizen Question

Of the many questions we are fielding from Rocky Mount residents, there was one particular question I wanted to make public as it covers a lot of ground as we move forward as a community.

From Monnie Taylor: "I am interested in your opinion of the coronavirus and the impact of the stay at home order on our city and it’s economics.

Will we be able to bounce back quickly?

Do we have a way to enforce abiding by the order?

Lastly, we have numbers on both counties, but in reference to the virus, what are the numbers for residents inside the city limits?

In short, I believe the stay-at-home orders and the practice of social distancing are reducing the spread of Covid-19. Assuming that we don’t open up too soon, I believe that our recovery will happen at a slower pace than we would desire. However, there are many organizations working with our state and the federal government to acquire resources and ease the economic impacts as we anticipate the decrease or "flattening" of the Covid-19 case curve. Many of these resources are focused on relieving the financial stresses of small businesses, so that they may open their doors again when the time comes to do so.

Learn more about local business resources here.

My transition team is working diligently to update each other weekly and look ahead at the implications as it pertains to schools, workforce, and economic development. The schools and jobs task force is meeting weekly on a Zoom call to discuss challenges educators and families are facing. Non-profit leaders are working with educators to come up with plans and programs to address the learning gap that will continue to grow as students are out of school for the rest of the school year.

On April 23, Governor Roy Cooper today issued Executive Order No. 135 extending North Carolina’s Stay At Home order through May 8. The orders extending the closure of restaurants for dine-in service and bars and closure of other close-contact businesses are also extended through May 8. Governor Cooper shared details about North Carolina’s plan to lift restrictions in three phases once the data show that key metrics are headed in the right direction.

To begin lifting restrictions, North Carolina needs to see progress in the key metrics in the table below.

The Rocky Mount Police Department is responsible for the enforcement of Governor Cooper’s stay-at-home orders.

The reports that I have seen suggest approximately 45% of Covid-19 cases in both counties are residents in Rocky Mount. Keep up with local case counts here.