Sen. Berger Statement on Governor’s Announcement

Raleigh, N.C. — Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) released the following statement regarding Gov. Cooper’s announcement:

“Gov. Cooper’s announcement today is largely a continuation of the existing lockdown. A statewide stay-at-home order still remains in place, and nearly every business that applied for essential status has already been operating at limited capacity so long as they practice social distancing.

“We were told ‘flattening the curve’ to prevent overloading hospitals justified a lockdown. Hospitals are not overloaded, and in fact they’re laying people off.

“So what is the theory to support this plan — eliminate infections or just delay them? Gov. Cooper apparently disagrees with Colorado’s Democratic Governor and others who say that a continuing shutdown will not cause a peak in COVID-19 cases to be any less severe, it will only push it down the line.

“Today in North Carolina, over half of our counties comprise less than 10% of confirmed cases. Why is a blanket, one-size-fits-all statewide order justified? I’m concerned that Gov. Cooper is ignoring more reasonable approaches and the experiences of the majority of states.”