Ten more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Durham County, bringing the county’s total to 84, according to a release.

Also Wednesday, Durham Mayor Steve Schewel issued a stay-at-home order, effective 6 p.m. Thursday to limit the spread of the coronavirus amid reports of North Carolina’s first coronavirus deaths.

“We have the power to control this as a community,” Schewel said in a press conference. “There is no need to fear this virus if we act. The way we can act together is to stay at home.”

The order limits activities people can do outside their homes to essential tasks related to health and food. The businesses that will be allowed to remain open are grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, gas stations, hotels and motels, and health-care facilities. Restaurants will still be able to provide take-out and delivery options.

Other operations that will continue include daycare centers, homeless shelters and government agencies. City buildings, including city hall, police stations and fire stations, will be closed to the public.

People will still be able to go out to take care of family, friends and pets. They will also be allowed out for exercise as long as social distancing is practiced, with people maintaining 6 feet between them.

The state has reported more than 500 cases. It reported its first two deaths due to the virus on Wednesday morning.

The deaths include a person in their late 70s with several medical conditions and a person traveling through North Carolina in their 60s, Governor Roy Cooper said.

“Earlier today we shared that North Carolina has counted our first COVID-19 deaths,” Cooper said during a press conference Wednesday. “It’s with a heavy heart I must tell you these will not be our last.”

The case counts don’t give a full picture of how widespread COVID-19 is in North Carolina or any other state, Zack Moore, the state’s epidemiologist, has said.

He said the gap between the counts and reality will grow as the virus becomes more widespread.

This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 6:46 PM.