CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris signed an order on Monday, banning gatherings of 50 or more people in Mecklenburg County. This overrides the state order which bans gatherings of 100 or more people and echos Sunday’s recommendation from the CDC.
NC Governor Roy Cooper has ordered all restaurants and bars to close from 5 PM Tuesday. Take-out and delivery options are still permitted.
SC Governor Henry McMaster has ordered all restaurants and bars to close from Wednesday. Take-out and delivery options are still permitted. McMaster also prohibited all gatherings of 50 or more across South Carolina.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued an executive order Saturday to stop mass gatherings of more than 100 people across the state, halting almost all remaining events that hadn’t already pulled the plug or postponed to a later date. This order did not affect retail or restaurants but the NC Department of Health and Human Services emphasized avoiding crowds and the need for social distancing. Governor Cooper also announced the closing of all public schools across the state, starting March 16th for at least 2 weeks.
While there was no direct mention of churches falling under the same order, many have canceled services with some moving their services online.
Further to Governor Cooper’s state order, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a dramatic recommendation on Sunday: Because large events can fuel the spread of the disease, it said gatherings of 50 people or more should be canceled or postponed throughout the country for the next eight weeks. It added that, at any event, people should take proper precautions, including handwashing and keeping one’s distance. This recommendation did not apply to businesses or schools.
During Monday’s White House Coronavirus Response Briefing, President Donald Trump recommended people do not gather in groups of 10 or more – the lowest number issued from any official, outside of self-isolating.
Health officials strongly recommend people avoid large gatherings to limit the spread of the coronavirus, many events across the country, including here in Charlotte and the surrounding areas, are being canceled or postponed. Scroll down for business closings, Charlotte area events, national events, and other related announcements.
Charlotte Area Restaurant, Business Closings
- North Carolina Public Schools To Remain Closed Through May 15; All Gyms, Barbershops, Movie Theaters Ordered To Close On March 25th
- Northlake Mall Suspends Hours For Two Weeks Due To Coronavirus
- Charlotte Premium Outlets, Concord Mills and SouthPark Mall will all close until March 29th.
- City Of Charlotte Buildings To Close To The Public.
- All Gaston County fitness centers and gymnasiums are ceasing operations.
- Gaston County grocery stores and restaurants will cease operations of their self-service food areas for take-out unless food is served directly by a staff member practicing appropriate food-safety measures.
- All restaurants and bars in SC ordered to close beginning Wednesday.
- Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Belmont, NC, closed through March 31st.
- Belk is temporarily closing all stores until March 30th.
- Macy’s temporarily closes its stores nationwide (two Charlotte locations).
- Lyft has paused its Shared rides service across all markets.
- AMC Theatres close all locations for 6 to 12 weeks.
- All restaurants and bars in NC ordered to close beginning Tuesday.
- Uber suspends its “Uber Pool” shared ride service (Uber Eats waives delivery fees for independent restaurants).
- The YMCA of Greater Charlotte will temporarily close all 19 branches and two overnight camps until at least April 1st.
- The Billy Graham Library has closed to the public.
- Regal is to close all movie theatre locations from March 17th until further notice. There are 5 Regal Theatres in the Charlotte area.
- Dogwood, Fin & Fino, The Porter’s House and Dressler’s are closed until further notice.
- Lost and Found closed indefinitely.
- Doc Porter’s Distillery in South End closed to the public until further notice.
- Charlotte Beer Garden suspends in-house dining. Food for takeout and pickup will still be available, beginning Thursday, March 19th.
- 5Church, Girl Tribe Co. and Seoul Food Meat Co. all closed
- CAVA suspending dine-in options.
- Carowinds Postpones Park Opening Until Friday, April 3rd Due To Coronavirus
- Great Wolf Lodge temporary closes beginning at 2pm on March 15th through April 1st
- Sycamore Brewing closing Hawkins Street Taproom “out of an abundance of caution”
Charlotte Area Events
- Actor’s Theatre Of Charlotte Cancels Remainder of Season
- Garth Brooks Concert At Bank of America Stadium Rescheduled To June 13th
- Epicenter 2020 Music Festival Cancelled Due To Coronavirus
- North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival Postponed To 2021 Due To Coronavirus
- UNC Charlotte’s May graduations have been postponed.
- The Lancaster Motor Speedway race scheduled for March 21st has been cancelled.
- The Millennium Tour featuring Omarion and Bow Wow at the Spectrum Center has been rescheduled for July 10, 2020.
- The Billy Joel concert that was scheduled for April 18th at Bank of America Stadium has been rescheduled to April 17, 2021.
- Tool has postponed all dates on their tour from April 16th to May 5th. This includes their April 21st date at the Spectrum Center. New date TBD.
- Charlotte Independence soccer games suspension extended to May 10th.
- The Wells Fargo Championship (PGA Tour) scheduled for April 30th-May 3rd in Charlotte will not be played this year.
- The ACC Baseball Championships at BB& T Ballpark, Charlotte are canceled (May 19-24).
- The Harlem Globetrotters’ March 29th date at the Spectrum Center has been postponed. New date TBD.
- The Rolling Stones have canceled their “No Filter” tour of North America. This includes their July 1st date at Bank of America Stadium.
- All City of Morganton indoor recreation facilities are closed until April 17th. This will affect the Collett Street Recreation Center, Mountain View Recreation Center and the Aquatic Center. All scheduled activities held at these facilities are canceled for the next 30 days. City of Morganton outdoor parks will remain open, but restrooms at City parks will be closed.
- All events and meetings at the Morganton Community House have been canceled for the next 30 days.
- CoMMA has canceled the remainder of its 34th season. An American in Paris, Edwin McCain, and Bandstand have all been canceled. CoMMA is in discussions with Edwin McCain to reschedule this show during the 2020-21 season.
- Pennzoil AutoFair at Charlotte Motor Speedway is postponed, rescheduled for June 12-14 (originally scheduled for April 2-5).
- Levine Museum of the New South announced that it would close through March 29th.
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Discovery Place announced it will close its locations until March 27th.
- Mint Museum has canceled all events and programs until the end of March, although the cancellations do not apply to weddings or corporate events.
- The Charlotte Ballet and the Charlotte Symphony postponed their Charlotte shows.
- Blumenthal Performing Arts has suspended all public events in its facilities until April 12th. This includes Belk Theater, Booth Playhouse and Stage Door Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center; McGlohon Theater and Duke Energy Theater at Spirit Square; and Knight Theater.
- The Children’s Theatre of Charlotte canceled the final weekend of GRIMMZ Fairy Tales and postponed its run of Dragons Love Tacos to April 2th4 – May 17th.
- Matthews Heritage Museum has canceled the Annual Lawn Party scheduled for April 18th.
- Merlefest canceled. Originally scheduled for April 23-26, Wilkesboro, NC.
- Mecklenburg County’s Department of Social Services (DSS) is suspending all congregate meal services until further notice, effective Monday, March 16th.
- The Homeless Resource Center at 618 North College Street is also closed and has moved to a boxed meal distribution process instead of congregate dining.
- Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation are closing all senior centers and senior programs will be suspended until further notice.
- All activities and events at Park and Recreation facilities that anticipate more than 100 people in attendance will be canceled.
- The Charlotte Fair has been canceled (March 13th-29th)
- Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic performances canceled at Ovens Auditorium (March 14th-15th)
- Carowinds Postpones Park Opening Until Friday, April 3rd.
- Craft Beer Half Marathon & 5 Miler canceled (March 30th).
- The LIT AF 2020 Tour hosted by Martin Lawrence postponed (March 14th at the Spectrum Center).
- All Sofar Sounds shows in the Charlotte area have been canceled.
- Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza Cancels In-Store March 14 Pi Day Celebration
$3.14 Pizza Reward Will Be Available via the Blaze App from March 16 through End of Year - The Famous Toastery Shamrock 4-Miler is canceled (March 14th).
- All Elevation Churches will be closed this weekend. (March 14th & 15th)
- Loni Love show at the Comedy Zone has been canceled (March 13th & March 14th).
- Charlotte Checkers games vs Providence Bruins will not be played as scheduled (Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15). AHL has suspended play until further notice.
- South End Craft Crawl postponed. Rescheduled for June 27th (originally March 24th) (announced on Instagram Story).
- 2020 Carolinas Classic All-Star Basketball Games have been canceled.
- Charlotte Checkers events originally scheduled for this weekend will not be played.
- Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte has put a hold on all public activities including remaining rehearsals and all performances of its upcoming production.
- The Arts Council of York County has postponed the 2020 Underexposed Film Festival.
- The City of Morganton has canceled the 26th Annual ACC Chili Cook-Off.
- Charlotte’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been postponed.
- Nevins Inc “Royal Chili Cook-Off” has been postponed.
- Charlotte Girl Tribe Pop Up Event has been postponed to June 13th (originally March 28th).
- Biere de Femme craft beer festival canceled (March 21st).
- NCHSAA Basketball State Championships have been postponed indefinitely. Spring sports have been suspended indefinitely including workouts, skill development, practices, and contests.
- UNC Charlotte’s Conference, Conference USA, has suspended the spring athletic season.
- Sherry Pollex postpones her March 14th, “Break Free” event.
- “An Evening With Michael Bublé” Tour at Spectrum Arena has been postponed – All tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates
- Charlotte Independence games suspended for a minimum of 30 days.
- Duke University has suspended all athletic competition for the foreseeable future.
- The Mexican National Team’s MEXTOUR scheduled for March 26th at Bank of America Stadium has been canceled.
- Charlotte Mobile Free Pharmacy Event canceled.
- Friday’s Cool Vibes – Blues Beatles Concert concert canceled – Matthews, NC
- Rich & Bennett’s St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl postponed. Rescheduled for June 27th (originally March 14th in Uptown Charlotte).
- All Lancaster County Parks and Recreation events postponed until Monday, April 6th (includes jamborees, practices, games, rentals, walking clubs, and classes).
- Charlotte Hornets’ games suspended indefinitely.
- Juicy Brews Balls To The Wall Craft Beer Festival canceled (March 21st in Uptown Charlotte).
- Black & Blue Craft Beer Festival postponed (March 14th at the Visulite Theater, Charlotte). Future date TBD.
- Baxter-Fort Mill Spring Fest and St. Patrick’s Parade canceled.
- Cabarrus County Senior Health And Wellness Expo canceled.
National Events
- Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games Postponed, Likely To 2021
- Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival rescheduled for September 24–27.
- USL Championship has extended the temporary suspension of the season through May 10th.
- The PGA Championship has been postponed to later in the year. New dates TBD (originally May 14-17).
- U.S. Soccer’s Open Cup Committee has temporarily suspended the 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer’s National Championship.
- Dreamville Festival, Raleigh postponed. Rescheduled for August 29th.
- Concacaf suspends all its competitions scheduled to take place over the next 30 days. This includes:
- 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifiers
- 2020 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League
- First Round of the Concacaf 2021 Gold Cup Qualifiers (due to be played in the March 2020 FIFA Window)
- 2020 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield
- All of this weekend’s events at Atlanta Motor Speedway postponed, including the NASCAR Xfinity race. New date TBD.
- Disney’s worldwide release of “Mulan” postponed (March 27th).
- Boston Marathon postponed until September 14th.
- English Premier League suspended until at least April 4th (UK).
- Universal Orlando Resort closing March 15th through the end of March.
- Disney World, Florida closed through the end of March.
- Disney Cruise Line will suspend all new departures from March 14th until the end of the month.
- The Masters golf tournament has been postponed due to coronavirus.
- Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, to close for the rest of March.
- NCAA “March Madness” basketball tournament has been canceled.
- The AHL has suspended play until further notice.
- Broadway shows have been suspended starting March 12th, at 5:00 PM.
- The MLB has canceled Spring training games and has postponed 2020 Opening Day by two weeks.
- The ACC has suspended all athletic-related activities including all competition, formal and organized practice recruiting and participation in NCAA championships.
- The ATP announced a six-week suspension of the men’s professional tennis tour.
- The NHL has “paused” the 2019-20 season.
- NASCAR will hold its race events at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway without fans in attendance.
- USL championship temporarily suspends play for a minimum of 30 days.
- The remainder of SEC men’s basketball tournament canceled.
- All sports on SEC campuses including championship events postponed until March 30th.
- MLS season suspended for 30 days (effective March 12).
- “F9” movie release delayed until April 2021.
- “Quiet Place 2” movie release delayed. New release date TBD.
- St. Patrick’s Day Parades canceled in New York and Boston (and Dublin).
- NBA season suspended indefinitely.
- “Peter Rabbit 2” movie release delayed until August.
- Coachella Festival postponed. Rescheduled for October.
- South By South West festival in Austin, TX canceled.
- Release of the new James Bond movie, “No Time To Die” pushed to November.
Other announcements in response to the coronavirus
- The City of Charlotte will only collect garbage and recycling from March 23rd. Yard waste and bulk item collection will be suspended for at least 30 days.
- UNC Charlotte Residence Hall Students Required To Move Out By Friday, March 20th.
- Gaston County Schools ‘Grab And Go’ Meal Program Begins March 17th
- The Latest: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper Orders All K-12 Public Schools To Close For At Least Two Weeks Due To Coronavirus
- 13 Positive Coronavirus Cases Reported In South Carolina
- The Latest: President Trump Declares National Emergency Due To Coronavirus
- South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster Declares State Of Emergency, Orders Lancaster And Kershaw County Schools To Close
- Carowinds Postpones Park Opening Until Friday, April 3rd Due To Coronavirus
- Queens University will move all instruction online effective March 18 through the remainder of the semester. All residential students are to leave campus with their belongings by March 15.
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Suspends All Sporting Events, School Performances Due To Coronavirus
- Panthers staff have been instructed to work from home. Coaches and scouts will have their travel limited.
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is taking proactive steps to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
- Piedmont Medical Center Announces Visitor Restrictions Amid Coronavirus Concerns.
- North Carolina Recommends New Steps to Protect Against COVID-19.
- UNC Charlotte Will Move To Online Classes “Wherever Possible” Due To Coronavirus.
- Hospitals Restrict Visitor Access as Coronavirus Precaution.
- Atrium Health Implements Visitor Restrictions Due To Coronavirus.
- Coronavirus Hotlines Open For S.C., N.C. Residents Including Specific Lines For Gaston and Mecklenburg County.
- President Trump Suspends Travel Between U.S. And Europe Due To Coronavirus.
- Schedule Changes To American Airlines Flights From CLT Airport Due To COVID-19.
This article will be updated as new information becomes available.
