With Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper all issuing emergency and executive orders, it can get somewhat confusing for the regular old citizen just trying to obey the law.

Fortunately, the City of Greensboro issued a press release that should straighten everything out, at least for the people of Greensboro.  Here is the press release in its entirety:

“Mayor Rescinds Emergency Declaration to Comply with Guilford County’s Enforcement

“Greensboro, NC (January 14, 2021) – Due to Guilford County’s approval of its Board of Health (BOH) Rule regarding how to address violations of Governor Cooper’s Executive Order 176, Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan has rescinded the City’s emergency declaration originally issued on November 20, 2020. The County’s action, which supersedes the City’s remains in effect until it is modified or rescinded. The civil restrictions enacted by the BOH Rule affects all residents of Guilford County.”

So there you have it. Or, if you do not have Cooper’s executive orders saved in your phone by number and can’t remember exactly what the Guilford County Board of Health rule was, or even if you have forgotten what Vaughan’s emergency order was, here is some assistance.  First, in Guilford County the Board of Health is the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.  So where it says “BOH” you can read Board of Commissioners.

Since Cooper issued Executive Order 188 last week, not remembering exactly which Executive Order No.176 was is understandable.  For clarification, Executive Order 176 amended Executive Order No. 169, which itself amended Executive Order No. 163, and no doubt everyone remembers Executive Order No. 163.

Vaughan’s emergency declaration of Nov. 20 was that the city would start enforcing Cooper’s executive orders and set penalties for those violations.  The small problem encountered was that Vaughan didn’t have the authority to enforce the executive orders and impose penalties until the City Council met on Dec. 1 and amended an ordinance giving the city the authority to impose the penalties in Vaughan’s emergency declaration.

Then, on Dec. 9, 2020, after Alston was elected chair of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, he called a special meeting of the Board of Commissioners, which is also the Board of Health, and the board passed an order to apply to everyone in the county, mimicking Vaughan’s emergency declaration for the City of Greensboro.

In short, nothing has changed.