City of Durham and Durham County Governments Safer-At-Home Order

On this page, citizens may find details to help them understand the Safer-At-Home Order, evolving from the Durham Stay-At-Home Order, for Durham County and the City of Durham. This page also includes updates to any State of Emergency issued for Durham.

The County and City appreciate your effort to comply with this Order. With everyone's cooperation, we hope to control the virus quickly so that life can soon return to normal.

Officials of the City and County announced on February 17, 2022, that they will continue to monitor Omicron variant case numbers a few weeks longer as they wait for new guidance from the NC Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control. This announcement follows Governor Cooper’s news conference earlier in the day when he encouraged schools and local governments to end mask mandates by March 7^th.

The current State of Emergency Declaration, that went into effect on August, 9, 2021 will remain in effect until it is recinded.

On August 9, 2021, the Durham County Declaration of a State of Emergency was updated went into effect in Durham County, NC to continue the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. The declaration comes in response to the rising cases of COVID-19 largely resulting from the Delta Variant. a State of Emergency is declared within the County of Durham, and, at the request of the Mayor, within the corporate limits of the City of Durham.

Review the recent State of Emergency primarily calling for face coverings to be worn indoors, even among those who are fully vaccinated here. View it is Spanish here.

On June 1, 2020, Durham moved to a Safer-At-Home Order.

On December 8, 2020, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued a Modified Stay-at-Home Early Closure Order [Executive Order 181].

The City and the County of Durham have adopted the State's Executive Order 181 (extending EOs 180, 176, 169 163, 151, 141 and 147), with no additional local requirements.

The Fourteenth Amendment of the Durham City and County Governments Safer-At-Home Order will take effect at 5 p.m. on December 11, 2020. The Updated Order for Durham will be in effect and will continue in effect until it is amended or rescinded.

View the latest Safer-At-Home-Order Phase 3 FAQs from City of Durham and Durham County Government here.
To view the new Durham Safer-At-Home Order, go here.
To view the new Durham Safer-At-Home Order in Spanish, go here.
Governor Roy Cooper's statewide Executive Order 181.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Executive Order 181 are here.

Durham Stay-At-Home Order: What's Different as of September 4, 2020

Durham City and County officials announced changes to the current Safer-At-Home Order which will relax some rules and bring its local order in line with Governor Roy Cooper’s 2.5 Phased Reopening as noted in Executive Order 163. Durham’s amended Safer-at-Home Order goes into effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, September 4, 2020.

Here is a quick summary of changes included in the state’s Phase 2.5:

Mass gatherings limits will increase to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors from the current limit of 10 indoors and 25 outdoors.
Gyms and indoor exercise facilities such as yoga studios, martial arts, and rock climbing as well as skating rinks, bowling alleys, indoor basketball, volleyball, tennis courts, hockey rinks etc., may open at 30% capacity.
Playgrounds may reopen with no occupancy limits, restrictions or guidance.
Museums and aquariums may open at 50% capacity.
Bars, nightclubs, movie theatres, indoor entertainment facilities, amusement parks, dance halls will remain closed.
Large venues remain subject to the mass gathering limits.

Read the Tenth Amendment to the Safer-At-Home Order for Durham County, NC.

Read the Tenth Amendment to the Safer-At-Home Order in Spanish for Durham County, NC.

Read the North Carolina Executive Order 163.

Read the Secretarial Order 3.

The differences between the current Safer-At-Home Order and previous amended Orders will be updated here.

Durham Stay-At-Home Order: What's Different as of July 9, 2020

Officials of the City of Durham and Durham County announced an amendment to the Safer At Home Order to go into effect at 5 p.m., on July 9. This amendment, to redefines mass gatherings in Durham and spells out updated employer screenings to include additional COVID-19 symptoms. The Order maintains Durham’s more stringent mask requirements.

Review the updates Safer-At-Home Order and note the specific differences between the amended Orders here.

Durham Stay-At-Home Order: What's Different as of June 12, 2020

Officials of the City of Durham and Durham County announced an amendment to the Safer At Home Order issued on May 28, 2020. This amendment focuses on two areas: Outdoor Exercise Classes along with changes for Real Estate. to the Stay-At-Home Order.

Understand the Safer-At-Home Order and note the specific differences between the amended Orders here.

Durham Stay-At-Home Order: What's Different as of June 1, 2020

Durham Stay-at-Home Order: What’s Different?

May 29, 2020

On Monday, June 1, 2020, at 8 a.m., Durham will move to a Safer-At-Home Order, updated from the current Stay-At-Home Order now in place, that will be in effect until rescinded. While mostly adopting Governor Roy Cooper’s statewide Executive Order 141, there are some more stringent requirements for Durham residents and visitors. Always refer to https://DurhamNC.gov/Covid19 for the latest information.

View chart as a PDF (English/Spanish)

	Safer-at-Home State Executive Order 141 Effective May 22 (Phase Two)	Safer-at-Home Durham County Order – 7^th Amendment Effective June 1
Mass Gatherings (Meeting & event venues, amphitheaters, sporting venues & arenas, groups at parks)	10-person group limit indoors; 25-person group limit outdoors	10-person group limit indoors & outdoors with social distancing & sanitation required
Face Coverings	Encouraged	Required
Restaurants, Breweries, Distilleries, etc.	10-person group limit	6-person group limit
Real Estate	N/A	Modifications made to permit showings of occupied dwellings; restrictions remain

Orden de Seguro en el Hogar de Durham: ¿Qué cambió?

1 de junio, 2020

El lunes, 1 de junio, de 2020, a las 8 a.m., Durham actualizó las Órdenes de Seguro en el Hogar las cuales están en vigor hasta que sean anuladas. Si bien en su mayoría se aprobó la Orden Ejecutiva 141 del Gobernador Roy Cooper para todo el estado, existen algunos requisitos más estrictos para los residentes y visitantes de Durham. Siempre consulte https://DurhamNC.gov/COVID19 para obtener la información más reciente.

	Orden Ejecutiva 141 del Estado Más seguro - en el Hogar En vigor desde el 22 de mayo (Fase Dos Modificada)	7ta Enmienda a la Orden de Seguro en el Hogar del Condado de Durham En vigor desde el 1 de junio
Reuniones masivas (Lugares de reunión y eventos, anfiteatros, lugares deportivos y arenas, grupos en playas/parques)	Límite de 10 personas en espacios cerrados; Límite de 25 personas en espacios al aire libre	Límite de 10 personas en espacios cerrados y en espacios al aire libre
Revestimiento facial/cubrebocas	Recomendado	Obligatorio
Restaurantes, Cervecerías, Destilerías, etc.	Límite de 10 personas	Límite de 6 personas
Bienes raíces	N/A	Se hicieron modificaciones para permitir mostrar viviendas habitadas; se mantienen las restricciones

In light of concerns regarding the community spread of COVID-19, City of Durham Mayor Steve Schewel and Durham County Board of Commissioners Chair (BOCC) Wendy Jacobs have combined and amended their Stay-At-Home Orders for all residents to further help stop the spread of this virus.

The order was originally combined on April 4, 2020. It has been amended three more times since: April 17, April 24 and May 15 and will be amended again on May 22. According to Mayor Schewel and Chair Jacobs, the purpose of this act is to strengthen and clarify the previous Orders' provisions by unifying the City and County Stay-At-Home Orders into a single order to reduce confusion and offer clearer guidance to businesses and residents.

The purpose of the May 15 change is to simplify some portions of the current order and to bring other sections more in line with Governor Roy Cooper’s statewide Executive Order 138. North Carolina has entered statewide Phase I reopening of activities that have been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The signed new Stay-at-Home Order from May 15 can be reviewed when you click here.

A PDF version of the new Stay-At-Home Order from May 15 can be reviewed when you click here.

The Order went into effect Friday, May 15, 2020 at 5 p.m. The Order will remain in effect until it is rescinded.

To read about the additional amendments from May 15, 2020, visit: https://www.dconc.gov/Home/Components/News/News/7743.

To view Governor Roy Cooper's statewide Executive Order 138 click here.

Further updates will be posted as they become available.

Other revisions:

To read more about the original combination of orders from April 4, 2020, visit: https://www.dconc.gov/Home/Components/News/News/6575.

To read about additional amendments from April 17, 2020, visit: https://www.dconc.gov/Home/Components/News/News/6635

To read about additional amendments from April 24, 2020, visit: https://www.dconc.gov/Home/Components/News/News/7655

Durham County Stay-At-Home Order

On Saturday, March 28, 2020, Chair of the Durham Board of County Commissioners Wendy Jacobs signed the Durham County Stay-At-Home Order in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Durham County Stay-At-Home Order goes into effect at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 29.

On April 3, the City of Durham and County of Durham issued a single Order to reduce confusion between the Orders and offer clearer guidance to businesses and residents.* The specific provisions of the combined and amended Order are detailed here.

Durham's Stay-At-Home Order, largely an extension of the City of Durham's Order, comes two days following North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's executive order requiring all North Carolinians to stay at home except for essential responsibilities. View the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) List for guidelines about protected activities and workers.

Click the following link to view more about the Durham County Stay-At-Home Order. Read this news release which explains the County's original Stay-At-Home Order.

More about the Durham County Stay-At-Home Order

Durham County Stay-At-Home Order (Updated 5/22/20)

Durham County Stay-At-Home Order (Updated 5/15/20)

Durham County Stay-At-Home Order (Updated 4/24/20)

Durham County Stay-At-Home Order (Updated 4/17/20)*

Durham County Stay-At-Home Order [Spanish]) (Updated 4/24/20)

Text of Chair Jacobs' remarks on Durham County Stay-At-Home Order - English - Spanish

Durham County Emergency Management Ordinance

Durham County Emergency Management Ordinance [Spanish]

Signed Copy of Emergency Ordinance

United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) List (Updated 4/3/20)

For questions about the Durham County Stay-At-Home Order, email publicinformationoffice@dconc.gov.