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Source: SAUL LOEB / Getty

Gov. Roy Cooper laid out projections for when North Carolina might lift COVID-19 restrictions on Wednesday. As of now, the anticipated date for a new round of executive orders is June 1.

The state’s mask mandate remains place for now, but that could change if more adults become fully vaccinated before then.

“Although we’re making progress, we haven’t beat COVID-19 yet,” Cooper said.

“With increasing vaccinations and ongoing work to slow the spread, I anticipate we’ll be able to lift all mandatory social distancing, capacity & mass gathering restrictions by June 1. I plan to issue an Executive Order next week outlining safety restrictions for the month of May,” Cooper added.

According to the NCDHHS, nearly half of all adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Officials believe at least two-thirds of the population needs to be vaccinated in order for the mask mandate to be lifted.

The news from Cooper comes as North Carolina sees a slight rise in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks. A seven-day average that has moved from 1,566 on April 7 to 1,956 reported on Wednesday. However, the death toll has stayed relatively low since the start of mass vaccination.

Gov. Cooper says a majority of COVID-19 restrictions to be lifted by June 1  was originally published on wbt.com