Press Releases

Governor Roy Cooper today charted a path forward for eventually easing certain COVID-19 restrictions while still protecting North Carolinians from a dangerous second wave of the virus.   “This virus is going to be with us until there is a vaccine, which may be a year or more away,” said Governor Cooper. “That means that as we ease restrictions, we are going to enter a new normal. We want to get back to work while at the same time preventing a spike that will overwhelm our hospitals with COVID-19 cases.”

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Robert M. Williams as warden of Forsyth Correctional Center in Winston-Salem. Prior to his promotion, he served as associate warden for programs at Piedmont Correctional Institution since 2012. As warden, Williams is responsible for all operations at the male, minimum custody facility that offers a variety of job training, education and self-improvement programs.

In response to the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety today announced it is taking an extraordinary measure to help reduce the spread of the virus in prison facilities. The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice last week transitioned the first individuals who will continue to serve their sentence in the community.  

Governor Roy Cooper is urging North Carolinians to be prepared for severe weather and the possibility of power outages overnight and into Monday afternoon, as a strong cold front moves across the state.  “North Carolinians are already following Stay At Home orders for the coronavirus, and now it’s also important to prepare for strong storms and possible power outages,” said Governor Cooper. “Be sure to follow weather conditions closely on Sunday and Monday, and have a way to receive severe weather warnings.”

Governor Roy Cooper took action to address the spread of COVID-19 by issuing stronger social distancing requirements and speeding up the process to get benefits to people out of work through Executive Order No. 131.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has two new mental health resources to support North Carolinians throughout the COVID-19 crisis. 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is providing financial assistance to help essential workers afford child care and bonuses to child care teachers and staff who provide care during the COVID-19 crisis. 

A collection of North Carolina experts today released a composite modeling forecast looking at how COVID-19 could affect North Carolina in the coming months. The models, constructed by experts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, RTI International, and others reinforced the need for limiting personal contact to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure that health care is there for people who need it. 

To stop the spread of coronavirus, the North Carolina Division of Prisons will not accept offenders from the county jails and will dramatically reduce the transfers of offenders within the prisons for the next 14 days, effective at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. “We must deny this virus the opportunity to spread,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “It has gotten into three of our prisons and we must contain it there to the greatest degree possible. This is imperative for the health and safety of our staff and the men and women who are in our care.”

The North Carolina Division of Prisons this week enacted staff coronavirus medical screenings that include temperature checks at every prison, in an additional effort to reduce the chances the virus gets into a prison. “These hardworking men and women in uniforms and medical scrubs report to work before the sun comes up or as the sun sets,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons.