Face coverings will be required in public across North Carolina.

At a media briefing Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper said the requirement is due to concerns over the increasing coronavirus numbers in the state.

The state will also not move into the next phase of reopening on Friday as originally planned.

Gov. Cooper is extending the “Safer-At-Home” order another three weeks.

Health officials says North Carolina’s COVID-19 trends have been elevated during the Phase 2 of reopening the state’s economy, with increasing community spread of the virus and a high percentage of positive tests.

As of Wednesday, there were 56, 174 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina.  1,271 of those cases have resulted in death, and 906 persons are currently hospitalized with the virus.

You can view Gov. Cooper’s complete media briefing below.