SOUTH
SOUTH CAROLINA. THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE AT 4:30.
I AM SARAH FRENCH.
>>> PLANS ARE UNDERWAY TO START
REOPENING THE COUNTRY. NORTH
CAROLINA'S GOVERNOR ROY COOPER
SAID HE IS FOCUSED ON TESTING,
TRACING, AND TRENDS.
HE SAYS TESTING HAS INCREASED
BY 80% +@OVER THE LAST TWO WEEK
THERE ARE 13 LABS THAT ARE
RUNNING TESTS.
CREAM FOR UNIVERSITIES WILL
START HELPING AS WELL.
GOVERNOR COOPER SAID MORE HELP
IS STILL NEEDED FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHEN IT
COMES TO TESTING AND PPE.
THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT
REOPENING THE STATE TOO SOON.
WCNC CHARLOTTE'S BEN THOMPSON
SPOKE WITH NORTH CAROLINA
CONGRESSMAN GREGG MURPHY WHO
HAS MORE INSIGHT ON HOW IT CAN
BE DONE.
>> Reporter: JOINING US TODAY,
DR. AND CONGRESSMAN GREGG
MURPHY.
HE REPRESENTS THE WESTERN PART
OF NORTH CAROLINA'S PICK YOU
ARE A MEDICAL DOCTOR.
YOU ARE STILL A RELATIVELY NEW
MEMBER OF CONGRESS.
YOU HAVE SO FAR BEEN+@ OUT FRON
ON THIS ISSUE.
+@THE IDEA PUSHING FOR US TO GO
+@
ON THIS ISSUE. +@THE IDEA PUSHING FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND REOPEN AND TRY TO GET
THINGS BACK TO NORMAL.
YOU ARE A DOCTOR.
YOU ARE AN EXPERT IN MORE WAYS
THAN ONE.
WE HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT
WIDESPREAD TESTING AND HOW
IMPORTANT THAT IS.
HOW DO WE START TO GO BACK INTO
THE PUBLIC SPHERE AND INTO JOBS
AND SHOPPING AND THINGS LIKE
THAT WITHOUT THAT TESTING?
>> I LOOK AT THE DATA EVERY DAY
FROM NORTH CAROLINA AND ACROSS
+@ THE COUNTRY AND ACROSS THE
WORLD.
WHO ARE THOSE THAT WE CAN
ACTUALLY START TO SAY, LET'S
START THE WALK BACK TOWARDS
NORMALCY?
THOSE INDIVIDUALS UNDER AGE 65
WITHOUT A SIGNIFICANT DISEASE.
CAN WE SAFELY START MARCHING
BACK WITHOUT HAVING TESTING?
TO BE VERY HONEST, WE ARE AT A
TIPPING POINT IN THE COUNTRY.
OVER 16 MILLION PEOPLE ARE NOW
UNEMPLOYED.
IF WE DON'T START SOMETHING
SOON, WE ARE GOING TO BE PASSED
A CRITICAL JUNCTURE.
CAN WE START MARCHING BACK IN
THAT PARTICULAR POPULATION?
ESPECIALLY WITH OUR PEDIATRIC
POPULATION?
CAN WE START MARCHING BACK
WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT TESTING?
I THINK THE ANSWER IS YES IF WE
DO IT CRITICALLY AND IN A
MEASURED RESPONSE.
+@
DO IT CRITICALLY AND IN A MEASURED RESPONSE. >> Reporter: WE LOVE THE FACT
THAT WE CAN TALK TO AN ELECTED
OFFICIAL THAT ALSO H+@APPENS TO
BE A MEDICAL EXPE+@RT AND KNOWS
THE DETAILS, WHICH IS A NICE,
REFRESHING THING TO SEE.
I'M GOING TO WALK YOU THROUGH
SOME SCENARIOS.
GIVE ME A COUPLE OF LINES ABOUT
HOW YOU THINK THE SCENARIOS
PLAY OUT.
IF WE GO BACK, HOW WE DO
RESTAURANTS?
>> LET'S LOOK AT THAT.
THAT'S A GROUP WHERE A LOT OF
FOLKS CAN ADVOCATE TOGETHER.
IF THE CAPACITY FOR RESTAURANT
OF THE CODE IS 100, WHY DON'T
WE START OUT AT 25 OR 30?
LET'S LIMIT FOUR TO A TABLE.
LET'S HAVE EVERY OTHER TABLE
AVAILABLE.
LET'S LET THE WAITSTAFF MAKE
SURE THEY WEAR MASKS.
AND EVEN INDIVIDUALS THAT COME
IN WEAR MASKS UNTIL THEY ARE
EATING OBVIOUSLY.
LET'S DO THAT SMARTLY.
LET'S USE WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
AND WHAT HAS WORKED AND WHAT
HAS KEPT NORTH CAROLINA'S IN
+@ THE FOREFRONT ON THE VANGUARD
+@ OF BEING ABLE +@TO CONTROL THE
+@
THE FOREFRONT ON THE VANGUARD +@ OF BEING ABLE +@TO CONTROL THE VIRUS.
LET'S KEEP THIS PRACTICES IN
PLACE.
WE CAN EXTRAPOLATE AND USE
THOSE IN RESTAURANTS.
>> Reporter: SAME THING WITH
HAIR SALONS?
>> WE ALL NEED HAIRCUTS THESE
DAYS.
THOSE CH+@AIRS ARE NORMALLY, I
+@
DAYS. THOSE CH+@AIRS ARE NORMALLY, I DON'T GO IN BEAUTY SALONS THAT
OFTEN, MORE THAN SIX FEET
APAR+@T.
IF+@ THEY ARE NOT, STAGGER THE
CHAIRS.
STAGGER THE APPOINTMENTS.
MAKE SURE THE STYLIST IS
WEARING A MASK.
MAKE SURE THE PATRONS CAN WEAR
A MASK WHILE IT'S APPROPRIATE.
DOING THOSE THINGS, SOCIAL
DISTANCING, WASHING HANDS,
WEARING MASKS THAT WE HAVE
PROVEN TO WORK THE BE ABLE TO
DO THOSE IN A SETTING +@THAT
ALLOWS PEOPLE TO GET BACK TO
WORK.
>> Reporter: TWO MORE
SCENARIOS.
CHURCH.
SCENARIOS. CHURCH. >>+@ CHURCH.
THAT'S THE PINNACLE TIME FOR A
LOT OF INDIVIDUALS OVER AGE 65
OF THEIR WEEK.
THAT'S THE AT RISK POPULATION.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THOSE
INDIVIDUALS REALLY CONTINUE TO
WATCH +@CHURCH SERVICES ONLINE.
BUT IF YOU CAN HAVE CHURCH
SERVICES WHERE YOU ARE SITTING
IN EVERY OTHER PEW, LIMIT FOUR
TO A PEW OR FOUR TO+@ A GROUP.
HAVE ON DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE
PEW.
I THINK WE CAN DO IT SMARTLY
AND INTELLIGENTLY THAT WAY.
>> Reporter: CHURCH IS
IMPORTANT FOR OUR MENTAL HEALTH
IN A LOT OF CASES.
THE OTHER THING WOULD BE THE
GYM.
FROM A VERY DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE.
A LOT OF+@ FOLKS GOING STIR CRA
WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO GO TO THE
GYM AND WORK OUT.
AGENDAS DIFFERENT CHALLENGES,
ISN'T IT?
>> SURE.
I DIFFER WITH SOME FOLKS.
I BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO
GO TO OUTDOOR PARKS.
LET'S TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT
JIM'S.
THAT IS A POINT, ESPECIALLY
NOW, FOR PEOPLE CAN GET OUT
TENSION.
USUALLY THOSE PLACES ARE KEPT
PRETTY CLEAN, SANITIZE.
WE HAVE TO BE HYPERVIGILANT
ABOUT DOING THAT.
MAYBE IF WE LIMIT THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE GYM AT
ONE TIME TO JUST A THIRD
CAPACITY, A QUARTER CAPACITY.
>> Reporter: WELL SAID.
CONGRESSMAN, WE APPRECIATE YOUR
EXPERTISE ON THIS ISSUE.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR SPECIFICITY,
WHICH IS SOMETHING WE DON'T
ALWAYS GET AND WE DO