No documents needed for travel in Richmond County

ROCKINGHAM — Those travelling to and from work during Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order do not need travel documents.

At least that’s the case in Richmond County.

The county put out the notice Monday afternoon saying that waivers, certificates or letters from employers are not required to travel on the roadways.

That has been a question on many employees’ minds since the governor’s order, which went into effect at 5 p.m. Monday, was issued Friday afternoon.

In anticipation of such a requirement, several companies and other entities in Richmond County have already issued such documents.

There is currently no curfew in place for Richmond County.

Commissioner Tavares Bostic on Monday posted the definition of different orders to try to eliminate some confusion:

• CURFEW — a regulation requiring people to remain indoors between specified hours, typically at night.
• STAY AT HOME — order from an authority to restrict movements of population as a mass quarantine strategy for suppressing or mitigating an epidemic or pandemic by ordering residents to stay home except for essential tasks or going to work in essential businesses. In many cases, outdoor activities are allowed.
• LOCK DOWN — an emergency protocol that usually prevents people from leaving an area. The protocol can usually only be initiated by someone in a position of authority. Lock downs can also be used to protect people inside a facility, for example, assisted living, from a threat or other external event.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol also announced that it “will not be conducting traffic stops during the stay at home order unless reasonable and articulable suspicion exist.”

Troopers ask that residents do not call *HP or 911 for non-emergencies.

The governor’s order allowed for a wide variety of “essential businesses” to remain open during the 30-day time frame.

Prior to the stay-at-home order, Cooper had already closed several businesses where social distancing is difficult or impossible to maintain, including bars, hair and nail salons, bowling alleys and skating rinks and sweepstakes parlors.

State Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry said during Friday’s press briefing that those businesses deemed essential “will not need to have any extra credential or permit to continue operations.”

North Carolinans are allowed to leave their homes for the following reasons: health and safety; for necessary supplies and services; for outdoor activity; for certain types of work; to take care of others; to return to one’s residence; to receive goods and services; and for volunteering.

For those who do leave, health officials encourage them to practice social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from each other.

Cooper’s order also bans groups larger than 10 people.

The order also allows for travel to and from a place of worship, but the mass gathering limit essentially puts a halt on religious services.

The county also announced a change in operating hours for the COVID-19 testing facility set up at the former Sandhills Regional Hospital.

The center will now be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Each person will be screened for symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath) and will be tested for the flu to determine if the COVID-19 test should be collected for testing,” Health and Human Services Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell said in a press release. “Individuals should be referred by their primary healthcare provider, Health Department, or by calling the COVID-19 hotline at 910-417-4947. Collection Samples for COVID-19 are also being collected through First Health and the Health Department as needed.”

Out of nearly 100 tests returned, Richmond County has yet to have a confirmed case of the coronavirus.