GOLDSBORO, N.C. – The North Carolina Republican Party is meeting with local leaders, ready to reopen North Carolina.

The NCGOP hosted its second roundtable, this time in Goldsboro, with representatives from Wayne, Sampson, and Duplin counties.

Those at the meeting were not happy on Tuesday. That's when Gov. Roy Cooper extended Phase 2 by three more weeks.

"I'm disappointed that we're telling people that they can and cannot work when everybody should be given the same freedom," says Jerol Kivett, Sampson County Commissioner.

Kivett joined NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley, Rep. Jimmy Dixon, business owner Jill Poythress, and Wayne County Commissioner Joe Daughtery at the roundtable.

The group was critical of how Cooper is handling back-to-school and releasing COVID-19 data. Those at the table discussed how counties should be able to control reopening for themselves.

"One size doesn't fit all," Kivett says. "So each county should be entitled to do what's best for their citizens."

Cooper has said in the past that the coronavirus knows no limits. He said he does not want the virus to spread farther into rural areas where health care systems can be easily overwhelmed.

According to the latest numbers from the Department of Health and Human Services, Sampson County has seen a total of 1,228 cases, compared to the 7,971 cases in Wake County – for example. Based on the population, that's 193 cases per 10,000 people in Sampson County and 73 cases per 10,000 people in Wake County.

Tuesday, Cooper said he is extending Phase 2 because coronavirus numbers are steady.

"Easing restrictions now, to allow more high transmission activities, could cause a spike that would threaten our ability to open schools," Cooper said. "The most important opening is that of our classroom doors."

Whatley is not convinced waiting another three weeks is a plan.

"Face masks are a great tool, but they're not a plan," Whatley says. "And so, we really do need to figure out what is the next step that we're going to have besides just sit tight for three weeks and hope that it gets better."

As far as what would be a better plan, Whatley said he would defer to the experts; the governor and his team.