Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 5
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We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Biggest one-day surge
North Carolina has at least 2,648 cases of coronavirus as of Sunday afternoon, and 38 people have died, according to public health officials
The state reported its biggest single-day surge in COVID-19 infections Saturday — a nearly 15% increase.
About 261 people are hospitalized with the disease in North Carolina, and more than 40,000 coronavirus tests have been completed, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Humans Services.
Mecklenburg County has 665 reported coronavirus cases, the most in the state. Wake County has 308, and Durham County has 186.
Charlotte an epicenter
The Charlotte area has emerged as an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in North Carolina.
Mecklenburg County accounts for about 25% of the state’s reported infections, although just 10% of the state’s population lives there, The Charlotte Observer reports.
Travel is likely a factor. Charlotte Douglas International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the United States, hosting 50.2 million passengers last year.
Confirmed cases in Mecklenburg rose by more than four dozen on Saturday to 650. They rose by 15 on Sunday to 665. Six people in the county have died.
Assisted living facility outbreak
Nearly two dozen new cases of coronavirus were reported at an assisted living facility in Henderson County, officials said Sunday.
The 23 cases were reported among residents and staff at Cherry Springs Village.
The news comes after Johnston County announced Saturday that three residents and a worker at Springbrook Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Clayton tested positive for the virus.
Eight nursing homes and four residential care facilities in North Carolina have COVID-19 outbreaks.
More inmates test positive
Three more inmates at North Carolina prisons have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Sunday.
An inmate at Johnston Correctional Institution in Smithfield tested positive, marking the facility’s first. Two inmates at Neuse Correctional Institution tested positive, bringing the total there to four.
With the new cases, seven state inmates have now tested positive.
North Carolina prisons are working to get face masks, cleaners and other supplies to slow the spread of the virus.
Liquor store senior hours
Ten liquor stores in the Charlotte area will open an hour early for seniors.
Starting April 7, only those ages 65 and older will be allowed in the stores between 9 and 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jason Hughes, CEO of the Mecklenburg County ABC Commission, said.
Some grocery stores have implemented similar policies.
Violating travel orders
North Carolina residents need to do a better job at heeding the statewide stay-at-home order, health officials say.
Most N.C. counties haven’t seen large enough reductions in social movements, according to data from Uncast, a company that uses cellphone data to track human movements.
Cooper said state mandates against non-essential travel “can be tightened even more if necessary.” Violating the stay-at-home order is a Class 2 misdemeanor charge, which carries a fine of up to $1,000.
“People should only be out to buy food, to get medication, to get health care or if they are an essential worker,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Resources, said Friday.
Abortion protesters arrested
Police on Saturday charged eight Charlotte abortion protesters with violating North Carolina’s ban on mass gatherings.
The arrests gained national attention late Saturday when U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas criticized Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. “This is an unconstitutional arrest,” Cruz, a runner-up for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 election, tweeted.
About 50 protesters gathered outside A Preferred Women’s Health Center in Charlotte, according to police. The center has been the scene of numerous abortion protests over the years.
This story was originally published April 5, 2020 at 7:17 AM.