CONCORD — On the same day as the county became the site of North Carolina’s first deaths connected to the coronavirus, Cabarrus County and its municipalities announced a stay-at-home proclamation that takes effect 5 p.m. Thursday.

It requires residents to remain in their homes and limits mass gatherings to groups of 10 or fewer.

The proclamation includes the city of Kannapolis and applies to people who live on the Rowan County side of the city as well as the Cabarrus side.

The proclamation coincides with Wednesday’s North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announcement that a person from Cabarrus County died on March 24 from complications associated with the virus. The patient was in their late 70s and had several underlying medical conditions. A second person in their 60s, who was traveling through North Carolina, also died from COVID-19 complications in Cabarrus County.

The proclamation directs residents to shelter at home and limit travel outside the home beyond handling specific essential needs. A news release said county leaders will continually review the proclamation, and it may be revised or extended based on recommendations from the Cabarrus Health Alliance and Cabarrus County Emergency Management.

According to the proclamation, Cabarrus residents should stay at their homes but can leave to “provide or receive certain essential services or engage in certain essential activities and work for essential businesses and governmental services.”

Essential businesses or operations include healthcare and public health operations, human services operations, essential government functions and essential infrastructure. All these functions are fully outlined in the proclamation, which is available at cabarruscounty.us/public-notices.