The COVID state of emergency is ending in NC. What that means for the pandemic response

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, a major component of North Carolina’s response to the virus will wind down.

The state’s COVID-related state of emergency will end Aug. 15, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Monday while signing a new state budget into law. The new budget, Cooper’s office said in the wake of the announcement, includes changes to “ensure flexibility” for the state Department of Health and Human Services as they continue to respond to the virus.

The news comes as another new subvariant of COVID-19 becomes the dominant strain in the U.S. and spreads in the state.

Here’s what to know about the state of emergency and how its end will impact North Carolinians.

When did the COVID state of emergency start in NC?

Cooper, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency in North Carolina via an executive order in March 2020, about a week after the first COVID-19 case in the state was reported.

More executive orders followed that imposed other restrictions aimed at combating the virus, such as shutting down in-person gatherings. Cooper’s decisions were at times criticized by Republican legislators.

As restrictions were imposed and lifted over the course of the pandemic, the state of emergency was extended multiple times.

What did the COVID state of emergency do?

The executive order declaring a state of emergency in response to the pandemic included a number of provisions.

It allowed, for example, drivers to exceed the “maximum hours of service” typically allowed by the state Departments of Public Safety and Transportation when “transporting medical supplies and other equipment” needed to address the coronavirus.

The order also triggered price-gouging protections and established the governor’s COVID-19 “task force,” among other actions.

As virus waves came and went and other virus-related restrictions were lifted, Cooper said the state of emergency was still necessary because “it’s allowing us to waive state and local regulations to be able to get vaccines to these people faster, so it’s an important part of getting this pandemic behind us.”

Some Republican legislators were critical of the extensions, calling for more checks on the governor’s authority.

What does the end of the state of emergency mean for the pandemic?

The end of the state of emergency does not mean the end of COVID-19 in North Carolina, with new cases and new variants still being reported.

Cooper said Monday he feels comfortable lifting the state of emergency because of provisions in the new budget that address public health officials’ ability to address the pandemic.

“The budget includes the changes in the law requested by the NC Department of Health and Human Services to ensure flexibility that is currently made possible by the Governor’s COVID-19 State of Emergency,” he said in a statement.

News & Observer reporter Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan contributed to this story.