ROCKINGHAM — In the past two days, you may have noticed hearts going up in the windows of local businesses, schools and government buildings.
The paper hearts started appearing Monday afternoon and continued Tuesday, with residents across the county joining in and marking the front doors of their homes.
The Richmond County Chamber of Commerce and the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority have teamed up for #aworldofhearts, an outreach project “during this time of uncertainty” surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, said Chamber President Emily Tucker.
“This was a way for us to join together and say, ‘We are in this together and we will get through this together,’ and because of social distancing we are all waving back at each other,” Tucker said. “We are all here still working for this great community.”
An executive order from Gov. Roy Cooper last week shut down bars and limited restaurants to take-out or delivery only.
Several Richmond County restaurants are still providing food to customers, but with limited staff due to social distancing guidelines from local, state and federal health officials. Others have closed until further notice, putting cooks and waitstaff out of work.
After Wednesday, more people will be out of work following Cooper’s executive order on Monday shutting down more businesses where staying at least six feet away from other people is virtually impossible.
The Facebook page #aworldofhearts was started by Mandy Gill of Bismark, North Dakota, during the family’s fourth night of social distancing, according to Inforum.com. Within 48 hours, the page had more than 100,000 followers. There is also a Candian #aworldofhearts page.
Both feature photos of paper hearts on doors from across the continent.
“I thought that it would be really fun for a group like that in Bismarck and Mandan,” Gill told Inforum. “I didn’t think so many people would get behind it. I asked if anybody would be interested, and people said it would be a good idea.”
Below are more photos from around the county.
