After knee surgery during the Christmas holidays, Gov. Roy Cooper returning to public activities

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has been recovering from recent outpatient knee surgery, which was performed during what is commonly a low ebb for public events for the chief executive.

Cooper underwent a partial knee replacement surgery during the holidays, said Jordan Monaghan, a spokesperson for the governor. The governor's office didn't give a specific date for the procedure, but Monaghan said on Thursday the second-term governor is "feeling great."

Cooper, who is 65, has been conducting gubernatorial business largely outside of public view so far in 2023. He met privately last week with Duke Energy executives about the Christmas Eve power outage.

Cooper hosted legislators at the Executive Mansion on Wednesday's first day of the General Assembly session, Monaghan said. And he'll make his first official public appearance of the year on Friday when he attends the annual Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance for state employees in Raleigh.

In 2019, Cooper had back surgery that required a brief hospitalization. And he tested positive for COVID-19 last June.