ROCKINGHAM — Amidst all the closings and cancellations, one regional theater is going ahead with its planned production.
The comedic rock musical “Little Shop of Horrors” will open Friday night as scheduled at the Ansonia Theatre in Wadesboro, according to Artistic Director Tommy Wooten.
On Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper and state health officials recommended the cancellation of all events with 100 or more in attendance where people were closer than 6 feet from each other to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We are moving forward with the show,” he said Friday afternoon. “Most of the performances have less than 100 people on the books.”
The play will run this weekend and next weekend and tickets are available at the theater’s website.
Merrie Dawkins, director of the Richmond Community Theatre, said the crowd limitations wouldn’t be an issue.
“Our next production, “The Trip to Bountiful” does not open until April 23,” Dawkins said.
The current recommended restrictions are for the next 30 days.
However, the Richmond County Daily Journal announced it has postponed its Classic Film Series, which was to be held at RCT.
Richmond County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell on Friday echoed the state’s attendance guidelines — including for churches.
Several local churches have announced their cancellations in a post on the Facebook page What’s Up Richmond County.
The attendance restrictions will also affect events at Cole Auditorium on the campus of Richmond Community College.
The restrictions have led to the cancellation or postponement of numerous sporting events, concerts and festivals in North Carolina and across the nation.
Several states, including neighboring Virginia, have closed schools for the next few weeks.
At this time, despite questions by parents, state officials do not recommend school closures.
However, they do recommend the cancellation of field trips and sporting events, which Richmond County Schools has already done.
Media outlets report that schools in Orange and Durham counties will be closed for several weeks starting next week.
The courts have also been affected, with N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley on Friday ordering the rescheduling of most court cases.
That announcement was followed by local changes from Resident Superior Court Judge Stephan Futrell and Chief District Court Judge Amanda Wilson.
According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, there are currently 15 cases in North Carolina: seven presumptive and one confirmed in Wake County; two presumptive in Forsyth County; and one presumptive in each Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Durham, Chatham and Johnston counties.
Once a case is determined presumptive positive in the state, it is sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
There have been 1,215 cases in the U.S. and 36 deaths, according to DHHS.
The only states with no reported cases are Alabama, Alaska, Idaho and West Virginia, according to the CDC.
The first case in North Carolina was identified on March 3 and the governor declared a State of Emergency on March 10. The following day, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday.
Jarrell said Thursday that there has been testing for COVID-19 in Richmond County, but no presumptive positive results have been found and no quarantine orders have been issued. If there is a positive case, an announcement will be made by the county government.
A total of 101 tests have been performed by the N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health.
