Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Last week, we wrote about Governor Roy Cooper’s decision to extend Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan amid an uptick in coronavirus cases. The new executive order will remain in place until at least November 13.
“Not all heroes wear capes,” wrote reader WILSON OWENS.
“Thank goodness we have a governor who responds in a rational and logical way, making decisions based on facts on the ground,” replied MARK ELLIS on Facebook. “Even the CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN governor of Texas admitted having erred in reopening too early a few months ago. Diseases don’t kowtow to political wishes.”
Facebook user JASON WILLIAMS responded with a GIF of Mister Rogers putting on a clown mask.
While walking back reopening plans is in the best interest for public health, the continued uncertainty puts clubs like Raleigh’s Ruby Deluxe and Chapel Hill’s Nightlife in jeopardy, as Mary King wrote about last week.
“People aren’t doing their part, they aren’t social distancing, and they aren’t wearing their mask properly, so things are going to keep going poorly,” wrote Facebook user TINA WOODS. “I work with the public in close contact and still have to ask multiple people a day to please wear a mask, or please pull it up over your nose. So yeah, businesses are going to be shut down because people can’t follow the rules to try to keep people safe.”
“The federal government needs to pay bars to stay closed through the winter,” suggested ANDREW SNEE. “They pay farmers not to plant fields.”
In response to Katie Fernelius’s story on the NC Protection Alliance, reader LITTLE BEAN called the reporting “white saviorism at its finest.”
“Did the journalist even bother reaching out to the other group to hear their perspective before slandering their efforts?” LITTLE BEAN continued. “If they did, they would have found a story of how once again a group of straight white women stole the work of BIPOC and queer folks and tried to discredit them. What kind of journalism is this? Attempting to erase the efforts of a group who are the reason the NCPA started is petty and irresponsible journalism. Congrats on spreading lies and potentially harming all of the survivors who have trusted their stories with the Greensboro and Winston Safety Alliance.”
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