Opinion | The governor is giving NC its COVID-19 freedom. What will that look like? – Richmond County Daily Journal

Gov. Roy Cooper is poised to give North Carolina its economic freedom, but with that comes much more.

Cooper announced Wednesday that the state will move toward Phase 2 of the reopening schedule he set out last month. North Carolina restaurants, swimming pools and beauty salons will be allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity beginning Friday, but bars, nightclubs, fitness centers, gyms and bowling alleys will remain closed.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen called it a more modest step than we would have originally planned. Cooper called it another careful step forward. Its also a politically sound and economically sensible decision for the governor. But like so much with COVID-19, theres no way to know if moving toward Phase 2 is a safe step or a leap too soon.

This much is certain: Its up to North Carolinians now. The governors decision was not only about trying to revive a staggering economy. It was about shifting the responsibility of COVID-19 from the government to the people it serves.

Thats a politically sound path to take. While Cooper was in the mainstream when he first announced coronavirus restrictions, hes been among the slowest to move his state out. That caution was warranted, but its led to a steady drip of complaints from Republican leaders, as well as impatience among business owners and fatigue from people who want to make their own decisions. With COVID-19 numbers mostly leveling out or declining, it was time politically and economically to let that happen to a greater degree.

The decision also fits the ideological sensibilities of his state, which has long bristled at the heavy hand of government. While people overwhelmingly understood the need for initial measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, there was growing resistance to one-size-fits-all restrictions. North Carolinians wanted more choice.

What will that choice look like? If youre among a vulnerable population or live in a COVID-19 hot spot or just think the inside of a restaurant is still too risky, you can continue to avoid all the things the governor forbid until now. If youre ready to mingle with the masses, you can do so we hope at a safe social distance.

With that comes risk. Most businesses and retail stores will take measures to protect employees and customers, as thoughtful owners and managers always have. But some stores and companies will not. When businesses are left to their own devices, they sometimes cut corners and skirt the rules, because they think no one will get hurt.

That could be catastrophic with COVID-19, resulting in an infection regression that risks public health and economic damage. Cooper and county officials need to be vigilant about coronavirus violators, including businesses that decide to ignore the governors 50-percent capacity rules.

Cooper also needs to be ready to be wrong about Phase 2. If a new COVID-19 spike follows in parts of North Carolina, hell be faced with the exceedingly hard call to move backward, not forward, with the reopening. We hope that doesnt happen, but some of N.C.s coronavirus numbers have ticked up in recent days, and states like Texas and Georgia hinted at a potential new COVID-19 surge a couple of weeks after making moves to reopen. Its too early to know what reopening means in those states and ours, but the governor cant say there werent warning signs.

For now, however, North Carolina is getting more of the freedom many wanted. Our health and our economy are in our own hands now.

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Opinion | The governor is giving NC its COVID-19 freedom. What will that look like? - Richmond County Daily Journal