Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 21
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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 exceed 7,100
North Carolina has at least 7,110 reported cases of the coronavirus as of Tuesday night, and 238 people have died, according to state and county health departments.
The state reported 187 new cases Tuesday, down from 271 tallied the previous day.
North Carolina’s cases are now doubling every 13 days, slowing from a rate of every 12 days as of Monday. The doubling rate is a metric officials are monitoring when they consider lifting coronavirus-related restrictions, according to The News & Observer.
There also has been an 19% increase in coronavirus-related deaths since Monday, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
At least 427 North Carolinians were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday, up from 373 the day before.
Mecklenburg County has 1,255 reported cases and 32 deaths, the most in the state.
In the Triangle, Wake County has 613 reported cases and nine deaths, and Durham County has 439 cases and six deaths.
School staffers test positive
Staff members at Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools have tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Patrick Abele said Tuesday.
He did not disclose a number but said none were reported among food preparation staff responsible for making and delivering meals to students in need, the News & Observer reported. But the cases did prompt school officials to change its system.
Instead of using bus drivers and buses to make deliveries, CHCCS said volunteers will pick up the meals at one or two hubs “to reduce the number of people involved,” according to the N&O.
The most space during quarantine
A study by Point2Homes analyzing the 50 largest U.S. cities based on median lot sizes and living areas ranked Raleigh as No. 1.
According to the report, Raleigh has the largest median lot size of all 50 cities at 15,682 square feet. In terms of indoor space, it ranked behind Colorado Springs with a median of 2,451 square feet, McClatchy News reported.
Charlotte was also on the list, ranking fifth in lot size and eighth in living area size.
Unemployment benefits
Under a new executive order signed by Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday, furloughed workers will be able to claim unemployment benefits.
“His order gives furloughed workers who received a severance payment from their employers at the time of their job losses access to payments through the unemployment system,” the News & Observer reported.
Other unemployed North Carolina residents will be able to apply for federal benefits starting Friday, according to the N&O.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance through the federal government is designed for jobless workers who don’t qualify for state benefits — including those in the gig economy, freelancers, independent contractors and self-employed people.
Reopening schools?
Cooper is expected to announce this week whether the state’s K-12 schools will reopen this school year, the News & Observer reported.
The governor previously said he wasn’t giving up on the possibility.
“Our public health team is looking at what is needed in order to be able to make sure that children are safe at school,” Cooper said at a news conference Tuesday. “We’re talking with the school superintendents, with the State Board of Education, with the Department of Public Instruction about the art of the possible and what kinds of things we can do to make sure that we would keep children safe.”
Coronavirus vs. the flu
COVID-19 has contributed to more deaths in the Carolinas this year than the flu, McClatchy News reported.
The flu season, which typically ends in May, has tapered off in recent weeks with just six cases reported during the week ending April 11.
At least 167 people have died in North Carolina from the flu since the season began in September 2019, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Since the first case of the coronavirus was reported in the state on March 3, at least 235 people have died as of Tuesday.
Protesters gather
Hundreds of protesters on Tuesday called for North Carolina to stop coronavirus-related restrictions that impact businesses. Some politicians joined the gathering, which was bigger than one held last week.
Gov. Roy Cooper gave the green light on Monday to the planned protest in Raleigh against his statewide stay-at-home order, as long as participants follow social distancing guidelines.
“So that there is no confusion regarding this issue,” William McKinney, the governor’s legal counsel, wrote in a letter to ReOpenNC, “outdoor protests are allowed so long as the protesters maintain the social distancing requirement that individuals stay six feet apart unless they are members of the same household.”
ReOpenNC is a group opposing the state’s stay-at-home order and business closures. One protester was arrested last week, prompting the group to hire a lawyer.
Roy Williams on coronavirus
Basketball coach Roy Williams told WFNZ he is practicing social distancing even though he would rather be recruiting for his men’s team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“I think it’s a scary time in our country,” Williams said on Tuesday, according to The Charlotte Observer. “Who knows what is the right move to make? But I think our country has rallied, has come together with all the social distancing.”
Williams also said he wasn’t sure if giving access to areas like beaches was the best move right now.
At-home testing approved
A North Carolina company announced Tuesday that it received the first federal approval to move forward with at-home tests for COVID-19.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision means LabCorp can offer the $119 testing kits to the public within a few weeks. Each patient must have a medical professional’s recommendation.
Escaped inmate in custody
An inmate who fled a federal prison camp in North Carolina turned himself in on Monday.
While on the run for three weeks, Richard Cephas told The News & Observer he escaped because he was concerned about dying from the coronavirus.
Cephas had been at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, about 12 miles northeast of Durham. Around the time of his escape, 10 coronavirus cases were linked to the facility.
As of Thursday, at least 91 Butner inmates and employees had gotten the virus.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 6:59 AM.
