Bars, gyms remain closed as Cooper extends phase 2 reopen plan to Sept. 11

Gov. Roy Cooper extended the state’s current phase of reopening by five weeks on Wednesday, the third time in as many months he has done so because of key Covid-19 trends remaining elevated. Cooper, a Democrat, said during a media briefing that “stable is good, decreasing is better.” As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 129,288 confirmed cases in North Carolina, including 2,050 virus-related deaths. There are 1,167 people hospitalized due to complications from the virus and the percentage…