North Carolina reaches 5,000 coronavirus cases as death total also rises
North Carolina reached a grim milestone on Tuesday with reports showing the state now has more than 5,000 cases of coronavirus.
There are now 5,024 COVID-19 cases and 108 deaths in North Carolina, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. What started with one case in Wake County on March 3 has now nearly doubled since the 2,543 cases reported statewide as of April 4.
But Gov. Roy Cooper said at a press conference Monday that the virus is spreading “at a much slower pace because we are following the executive orders on social distancing. What we are doing is working.”
North Carolina has seen fewer coronavirus cases than many other states. For instance, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that the state’s death total had reached more than 10,000 people, the Associated Press reported.
Cooper has announced a series of measures over the past month to try to slow the spread of COVID-19, including a statewide stay-at-home order and closing all K-12 public schools through May 15.
A new statewide order went into effect Monday requiring retail stores that are still open to limit their number of customers to no more than 20% of their maximum capacity at any given time, the News & Observer reported.
But a group called ReopenNC is criticizing Cooper’s executive orders and wants restrictions removed so businesses can reopen, the News & Observer reported. Cooper said Monday that “wholesale lifting” would be a “catrastrophe.”
North Carolina became the 19th state with at least 5,000 confirmed cases. New York has the most confirmed cases, with 188,694 according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 11:50 AM.
