N.C. governor orders scofflaw track to close
Sheriff wouldn’t cite it amid crowd violations
RALEIGH, N.C. — The administration of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has ordered the closure of a small stock-car track that has allowed large crowds to gather repeatedly for weekend races, declaring it an “imminent hazard” for the spread of COVID-19.
The order signed by Cooper’s health secretary says Ace Speedway in Alamance County, 65 miles northwest of Raleigh, is violating the governor’s executive order limiting outside mass assemblies to 25 people.
Media outlets have reported crowds at the speedway exceeding 2,000 people, including a gathering last Saturday even after the Democratic governor’s office wrote a letter stating the speedway’s actions were in “open defiance” of the health restrictions.
Media reports indicated many attendees at three weekend races since late May sat and stood near each other, and few wore masks.
The action came after Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson announced on Monday that he wouldn’t issue a misdemeanor citation to the speedway. He questioned the legality of Cooper’s restrictions and said local tracks elsewhere weren’t being punished for opening. Cooper had said he would act if Alamance County officials wouldn’t.
“North Carolinians are making huge sacrifices to protect their families and neighbors. This virus is highly contagious and very dangerous,” Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said in a news release Tuesday. “Bad actors who flagrantly violate public health orders put all of our families and loved ones at risk.”
An email sent through the speedway’s website seeking comment from father-and-son owners Robert and Jason Turner wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday. A message at the speedway’s main phone number said the voice mail was full.
In other developments:
New Orleans will let the good times roll in casinos and bars again beginning Saturday, with restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, Mayor Latoya Cantrell said Tuesday. The city began easing restrictions on restaurants and other businesses in May.
Nine California counties are reporting a spike in new coronavirus cases or hospitalizations of confirmed cases, some from Memorial Day holiday gatherings and others from prisons and nursing homes. In Sacramento County, which had 33 hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients and 14 in its intensive care units as of Tuesday, health officials said the spike in infections is tied to recent gatherings, including birthday parties and a funeral.
Chicago officials on Tuesday canceled Lollapalooza and other summer festivals through Labor Day, citing concerns about the spread of coronavirus as the pandemic’s financial toll worsened.