Effective Thursday, March
26th at 8:00 am, non-essential businesses located in Mecklenburg County, North
Carolina must discontinue operations, with the exception of work that can be
completed remotely at employees’ residences. The Stay at Home Order will remain
in effect for twenty-one days, or until April 16th.
What businesses are exempt
from this order? What businesses qualify as “Essential”?
There are many businesses and
operations essential to maintaining public health and safety. Accordingly, some
of the most important exemptions from the order include:
•
Healthcare,
public health, law enforcement, public safety, and first responders
•
Food and beverage
manufacturing, production, and cultivation including agriculture
•
Grocery and
medicine retail
In addition, there are many
specific exceptions that might qualify a business as “Essential.” For example,
under § 20 of “Essential Businesses and Operations,” a business involved in the
manufacture, distribution, and supply chain for critical products and
industries qualifies as an essential business.
Specifically, “manufacturing
companies, distributors, and supply chain companies producing and supplying
essential products and services in and for industries such as
pharmaceutical, technology, biotechnology, healthcare, chemicals and
sanitization, waste pickup and disposal, agriculture, food and beverage,
transportation, energy, steel and steel products, petroleum and fuel, mining,
construction, national defense, communications, as well as products used by
other Essential Businesses and Operations.”
Please contact us if you
need guidance in determining whether or not your business qualifies as an
Essential Business under one of the many exceptions.
Even if a business does not
qualify as Essential, the Order permits non-essential businesses to carry on
with Minimum Basic Operations. Minimum Basic Operations include the minimum
necessary activities to:
-
maintain the
value of the businesses’ inventory
-
preserve the
condition of the business’s physical plant and equipment
-
ensure security
-
process payroll
and employee benefits
-
facilitate the employees
of the business being able to continue to work remotely from their residences
Essential Businesses and
businesses continuing Minimum Basic Operations must always comply with Social
Distancing Requirements, where possible:
- Maintaining 6-foot distances
- Providing hand sanitizer and sanitizing products for
employees and customers
- Arranging separate operating hours for vulnerable
populations
- Providing online and remote access, including
current contact information
For Further Reference:
Mecklenburg County Stay at
Home Order https://www.mecknc.gov/news/Documents/Mecklenburg%20County%20Stay%20at%20Home%20Orders.pdf
Mecklenburg County’s Answers
to Frequently Asked Questions about the Order
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