Cooper: NC will allow large outdoor venues, stadiums to open at limited capacity
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that he plans to loosen the restrictions on large outdoor venues, including stadiums, because of the state’s “continued stability” in coronavirus cases and metrics.
He said he plans to allow a capacity of 7% for large venues with a seating capacity of more than 10,000, effective Oct. 2.
The state is currently under Phase 2.5, which limits indoor mass gatherings to 25 people and outdoor gatherings to 50. In Orange County, gatherings remain at the Phase 2 limit of 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors.
“We share this news today so those outdoor venues with seating capacity of more than 10,000 can begin preparations that are key to safely re-opening their doors to have a limited amount of socially distanced fans,” Cooper said in a news conference.
More changes to public health restrictions could be announced early next week, Cooper said, before Phase 2.5 expires Oct. 2. He expects the venue capacities to be included in that executive order, he said, as long as key coronavirus metrics continue to remain stable.
“We will continue analyzing our data as we determine how to move forward safely in other areas that may be included in the new order on Oct. 2,” Cooper said. “In it, we hope to ease some other restrictions, while keeping in place safety protocols like masks and social distancing.”
Cooper already has eased some other restrictions. Last week, he announced that elementary school students could return to full-time in-person instruction in October, known as Plan A, if their school districts choose to.
Cooper said Tuesday he chose outdoor venues with seating for 10,000 or more because there should be adequate space for social distancing and the ability to manage crowds. Venues will need to have safety plans and time to educate visitors about them. People will need to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing.
“We do believe that outdoor events are safer than indoor events, and therefore that’s why we’re concentrating in that lane,” Cooper said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that outdoor activities are safer than gathering indoors, where there is less ventilation and it’s harder to social distance.
“The 7% capacity leaves plenty of room for social distancing, but not just that,” Cooper said. “We think it’s really important for these arenas to have separate entrances, to not have places where people can congregate to make sure that only families or people who live in the same household sit together.”
North Carolina teams react
Tuesday’s decision comes after parents of college football players asked the governor to allow them inside stadiums to watch their children play, The News & Observer reported. For UNC’s first game against Syracuse, the governor rejected the request, leaving parents frustrated.
Earlier this month, UNC joined six other schools in the state — Appalachian State, Charlotte, East Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest — in asking for the policy to be reconsidered.
On Sept. 18, Cooper’s office granted permission for 450 tickets to be given out at the N.C. State home game against Wake Forest, allowing each NC State player to have two tickets and the Wake Forest team to have 100, The N&O reported.
UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that he is “thrilled that we will be able to start welcoming spectators back to Kenan Stadium in October,” and hopes that will increase later this fall, The News & Observer reported.
Cunningham said parents and students were missed in the stands at UNC football’s home opener, and that UNC is working on plans for seating and concessions.
N.C. State will play Duke at Carter-Finley Stadium on Oct. 17. The stadium has a capacity for 57,583. With the governor’s 7% attendance cap, around 4,000 people would be allowed to attend the game, The N&O reported.
Duke is not allowing spectators for fall sports and has not said, as of Tuesday afternoon, whether Cooper’s new guidelines would affect that.
The Carolina Panthers will be able to host about 5,240 people in Bank of America Stadium, which seats 74,867 people, The Charlotte Observer reported. Mecklenburg County has not said how many fans will be allowed in yet, but the first eligible game is Oct. 4 against the Arizona Cardinals. The team already has incorporated safety measures, including directional arrows and designated entrances.
It will allow NASCAR to host up to 6,650 fans Oct. 11, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the Roval 400 Cup Series playoff race, The Charlotte Observer reported. Charlotte Motor Speedway seats 95,000.
The loosened restrictions apply only to venues with seats, not large open areas such as Dix Park in Raleigh, Cooper said.
Cooper said while parks are open, they are still subject to the 50-person limit on outdoor mass gatherings.
Newly reported COVID-19 cases have been relatively steady for the past two weeks, and the percentage of tests performed each day that are positive for the coronavirus is hovering around the 5% mark that health officials want.
The new lab-confirmed cases bring the state’s total to 195,549 since the first cases were reported in March. More than 3,286 have died, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said the key COVID-19 metrics have been stable, but they want to see a decline in new cases. Officials are still seeing a high level of viral spread, Cohen said.
“Overall, we see some stability,” she said. “This is not a final destination. We have to keep working to keep that stability and to make further progress.”
Cooper said the state’s stability means that the masks requirement and social distancing are more important than ever as they work toward easing more restrictions.
Venues that could open
The new order goes beyond athletic games in stadiums, though. It also can apply to outdoor entertainment venues, though there are few in the Triangle with that large of a capacity.
Wake County is home to the largest venues in the Triangle in Carter-Finley Stadium and Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek.
Joshua Creighton, the deputy manager of emergency management for Wake County, said the county doesn’t plan to enact stricter local restrictions at this time and won’t block venues from opening under the new guidelines. Walnut Creek, an amphitheater with a capacity of more than 20,000, would be the largest traditional outdoor concert venue able to reopen.
Orange County has followed its own path on reopening by enacting sometimes stricter guidelines than the rest of the state. County spokesman Todd McGee said the county plans to meet before considering the easing of restrictions.
In Durham, the popular Durham Bulls minor league baseball season was canceled this year, but the ballpark has hosted several movie nights. The ballpark seats 10,000, and Durham Bulls vice president Mike Birling expects the venue to host more movies, as well as concerts and watch parties.
“(Minor League Baseball) teams throughout North Carolina have been working with the governor’s office to open up our facilities for a few months now,” Birling said. “This will allow us to safely open for events, so we can begin to heal from this season without Bulls baseball.”
Staff writers Drew Jackson, Jonas Pope IV and C.L. Brown contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Cooper: NC will allow large outdoor venues, stadiums to open at limited capacity."
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