House Republicans call on Governor to end COVID-19 state of emergency

Raleigh, NC – With the two-year anniversary of Gov. Cooper’s COVID-19 state of emergency declaration this Thursday, March 10th, the entire House Republican Caucus today sent a letter organized by Majority Leader John Bell to the Governor calling on him to end his emergency order and allow the state to move forward.

“After two years of executive orders that shut down businesses, restricted gatherings, closed schools, and mandated masks, the people of North Carolina are more than ready to move on,” the letter states. “As key metrics continue to fall and vaccines remain readily available to those who want one, there is no justification for a continued state of emergency."

The letter continues, “Simply put, there is no emergency. We urge you to immediately end your emergency order and allow our state to move forward.”

The full letter can be found online here and below.

Dear Governor Cooper,

March 10th marks two years since you issued Executive Order No. 116 to unilaterally put the citizens of North Carolina under a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After two years of executive orders that shut down businesses, restricted gatherings, closed schools, and mandated masks, the people of North Carolina are more than ready to move on.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced it is dropping universal indoor mask recommendations, and school districts and local governments across our state are ending their mask mandates.

Furthermore, new cases have plummeted in the past month — from a 7-day average of approximately 22,000 a month ago to approximately 3,000. Hospitalizations are down from 5,089 a month ago to 1,618. As these key metrics continue to fall and vaccines remain readily available to those who want one, there is no justification for a continued state of emergency.

Simply put, there is no emergency. Yet, there is still no plan or exit strategy set forth by your Administration outlining how and when the nearly two-year state of emergency can be lifted.

The people of North Carolina should not have to live under the continued threat and uncertainty of new emergency executive actions and restrictions that have severely impacted and limited their lives for the past two years.

We urge you to immediately end your emergency order and allow our state to move forward.

Thank you for your time and attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,