CHARLOTTE, N.C. – North Carolinians are reacting to the reduced indoor mass gathering size limit ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Gov. Roy Cooper lowered the limit from 25 people to 10 for indoor, in-home gatherings and in-home social events. The order doesn’t apply to businesses that already have other capacity limits.

He said many of the COVID-19 clusters last month came from community and family gatherings.

“People tend to let their guard down when they are with people they know or people who are family. As we’ve said time and again, that doesn’t mean they don’t have COVID-19 and they are not showing symptoms,” Cooper said.

Jeremy Stephenson in Charlotte is welcoming at least seven guests for his Thanksgiving celebration.

“We have people traveling from out of state, as well as family who are here locally, who we are going to be hosting for a large meal,” Stephenson says.

According to Stephenson, there’s a chance he will go over the 10-person limit.

“It comes across as arbitrary. There’s no magic number between nine, 10 or 11. There is no way to enforce it and if you can’t enforce a rule is not a rule,” Stephenson says. “People should be left to make their own decision for what they think it’s best for their family.”

Stephenson, who disagrees with the order, says he and his guests will keep COVID-19 safety in mind.

“If friends and family of ours want to wear masks inside the house, we of course, support them. That’s up to them. I think people are more conscious about hand washing and distances but I’m not concerned about the 10-person limit,” Stephenson says.

Shamaiye Haynes says she will follow the 10-person rule while at a small family gathering out of state next week and when celebrating at home with immediate family on Thanksgiving day.

"Rules are hard. We are Americans and we love our freedoms but in this case, we need to think others really,” Haynes says.

She supports Cooper’s decision. She says he didn’t have much of a choice but to add restrictions due to COVID-19 numbers increasing in North Carolina.

“I think, short of shutting it completely down, you are trying to say to people, ‘please be responsible’ and giving them some limitations, “ Haynes says. “Even after these limitations, depending on what we do, as a community, it may force his hand to do something else to just save lives and keep people from being sick."

The order takes effect on Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. and it’s in effect until Dec. 4.

North Carolina Health officials say the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is to only gather with those living with you.

They say wearing a mask if someone doesn’t live with you is also important.