Effective immediately, masks are no longer required in most settings, and mass gathering and social distancing limits in N.C. are no longer in place, Gov. Roy Cooper announced in a news conference Friday.
Cooper said this decision to lift statewide restrictions follows Thursday's announcement from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which stated that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear masks indoors.
Amid this change, Cooper encouraged all North Carolinians to get vaccinated in order to continue saving lives.
"North Carolinians have shown that we have resolve and the compassion to do what’s needed even when times get hard," Cooper said. "If we keep doing that, we’ll get through this."
According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, over half of adults in the state aged 18 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and around 43 percent are fully vaccinated.
Cooper said residents who are hesitant to get the vaccine and those who have not had time to receive their doses yet should still get vaccinated.
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