Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 9
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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.
Cases top 3,800
North Carolina has at least 3,823 reported cases of coronavirus as of Thursday night, and 75 people have died, according to state and county health departments.
At least 398 people were hospitalized with the virus as of Thursday, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Only eight of North Carolina’s 100 counties have not reported a case of the coronavirus.
Mecklenburg County has 869 reported cases, and 10 people in the county have died.
In the Triangle, Wake County has 388 reported cases and Durham County has 245. One death has been reported in Durham County.
Missed payments
About 1 in 4 renters in the Charlotte area missed paying rent during the first week in April, a study found. It’s an 8% increase from the same period in 2019, according to figures from the National Multifamily Housing Council.
Mecklenburg, home to Charlotte, has the most reported coronavirus cases in the state.
More executive orders
In an executive order Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all retailers — including grocery stores — to limit the number of shoppers allowed inside at a time.
No more than 20% of a store’s fire capacity is allowed in starting at 5 p.m. Monday, Cooper said. Stores also have to mark “six feet of distance where people might gather, such as in checkout lines.”
North Carolina-based Harris Teeter and some other retailers already had similar measures in place.
The governor said this week it’s “critical” for people to follow the stay-at-home order he issued last month and to only go out for essential reasons.
The stay-at-home order is working, Cooper said, adding that he did not know when it will be lifted. The order is until April 29 but could be extended.
More prison cases reported
Nineteen state prison inmates tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Most cases — 13 — were at Neuse Correctional Institution in Eastern North Carolina. Other inmates who tested positive were housed in Caledonia and Johnston correctional institutions.
Five state prison staffers tested positive for the virus as of last week. The state isn’t releasing those numbers anymore, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The Federal Correctional Complex in Butner on Wednesday said 57 inmates and an employee tested positive for COVID-19. A person working at the facility’s prison camp escaped during the outbreak and has been on the run since April 2, officials said.
Possible election changes
North Carolina election officials are considering possible changes to the November election in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
One option is to use all mail-in ballots instead of sending voters to polling places, according to Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell.
The legislature would have to approve the change, which would require new equipment and warehouses for the ballots.
Nursing home restrictions
All nursing homes in North Carolina must close communal areas and screen workers daily for symptoms of the coronavirus, officials announced Wednesday. In addition, all staff members must wear face masks.
Seventeen nursing homes and residential care facilities in the state have ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks, data show.
At least 60 people at a nursing and rehabilitation center in Orange County have tested positive for the coronavirus, and two have died, Cooper said Wednesday. Seven are in the hospital.
Officials confirmed with The News & Observer that the outbreak was reported at PruittHealth-Carolina Point.
Wake County reported its first cases at a long-term care facility: two patients and two nurses at Wellington Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Knightdale, according to a Wake County news release. The patients are at WakeMed Hospital, the release said.
In Moore County, more people at Pinehurst Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center tested positive for the virus, bringing the total to at least 50, health officials said Thursday.
Antibody tests
The Food and Drug Administration gave a North Carolina-based company emergency-use authorization for its COVID-19 antibody test.
The tests, developed Cellex, could determine whether people have developed immunity to the virus.
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 7:09 AM.
