Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on May 22
We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Reported cases and deaths
At least 22,025 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 773 have died as of Friday evening, according to state and county health departments.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported 758 new cases, up from 738 reported the day before.
Officials say they have increased the number of coronavirus tests administered. The state had completed 303,224 tests as of Friday.
At least 568 North Carolinians were hospitalized with COVID-19 Friday, down from 578 Thursday.
Breweries, taprooms can reopen
Gov. Roy Cooper will allow breweries, taprooms and brewpubs to reopen Friday under Phase Two of the three-phased reopening plan.
Brewery owners had complained about Cooper’s decision to keep bars closed as restaurants reopened. The North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild argued breweries, taprooms and brewpubs didn’t meet the executive order’s definition of “bars.”
The guild praised Cooper’s decision on Friday, saying their members are committed to reopening in a safe manner.
Some high school, rec sports to return this summer
Gov. Roy Cooper and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services director Dr. Mandy Cohen are expected Friday to release recommendations for non-contact sports to resume in Phase 2 of the state’s re-opening plan.
Baseball, swimming and golf will likely be allowed, but football and basketball are off-limits.
“We know that contact sports, like basketball or football, where you’re in each other’s personal spaces, where you’re breathing out respiratory droplets on one another,” Cohen said Friday. “We know that is a higher way of spreading the virus as opposed to non-contact sports like tennis, or baseball, or individual sports like swimming or golf.”
Restaurants, salons can open at 5 p.m.
North Carolina moves into a “modest” Phase Two of reopening at 5 p.m. Friday, and the stay-at-home order will be lifted in favor of a safer-at-home order.
Restaurants can offer dine-in services with capacity limits, and salons and other personal care businesses and swimming pools will be allowed to reopen with 50% capacity limits and other rules. Additionally, outdoor gatherings of no more than 25 people and indoor gatherings of no more than 10 people will be allowed.
But gyms, bars and nightclubs, indoor entertainment venues and playgrounds will remain closed.
Those who are at a higher risk of complications from the coronavirus are still encouraged to stay home, and everyone is encouraged to wear a face covering and practice social distancing in public.
Officials say North Carolina will stay in Phase Two for at least four to six weeks before moving into Phase Three, when more restrictions will be relaxed.
Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and other state Republican leaders have raised questions about the length of Phase Two and asked why certain businesses have to remain closed under the new plan. Cooper is a Democrat.
Charlotte gym challenges order
The owners of High Five Fitness in Charlotte plan to file a legal challenge to Gov. Roy Cooper’s modified Phase Two reopening.
Workout facilities initially expected to roeopen will now remain closed until late June.
“We just feel like it’s a blatant abuse of rights,” co-owner Rob Jenkins told the Charlotte Observer. “It’s not right for a public official to be able to shut down somebody’s way of making a living for months on end.”
Cooper sets up business safety plan
Gov. Roy Cooper plans to train hospitality and retail workers under an initiative called “Count on Me NC,” designed to help increase consumer trust in those businesses, the News & Observer reported.
The safety plan follows Cooper’s announcement Wednesday that North Carolina is ready to move into Phase Two of the state’s three-phased reopening plan — which allows some businesses to reopen.
Push to expand mail-in voting
A group of bipartisan North Carolina lawmakers has sponsored a bill that calls for easing vote-by-mail requirements. The proposed legislation would allow voters to have just one witness, request ballots via email or fax and receive alerts if there are issues with tracking their ballots.
The bill would block the state’s election director from making mail-in ballots the only voting option, The News & Observer reported Friday.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, North Carolina is anticipating a spike in people deciding to vote by mail in November.
IBM job cuts
IBM, which has an office in Research Triangle Park, is expected to cut “thousands” of jobs across the United States, The News & Observer reported. The company had announced a restructuring plan earlier this year and didn’t directly make a link between the economic downturn and the decision to lay off workers.
“So far, IBM has not filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with the state’s Commerce Department, something that is required for certain large layoffs,” The News & Observer reported.
In March, the number of open positions in the technology field dropped across North Carolina, and hiring was expected to continue to decline due to the coronavirus pandemic.
New jobless benefits
Workers who lost their job but are no longer eligible for state unemployment benefits can get a new type of assistance.
Through the federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, such workers can receive benefits retroactive to April 4.
Go online at des.nc.gov to fill out a new application for the benefits or learn how to qualify.
NC reports first case of rare syndrome in child
The first case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, in North Carolina was reported Thursday, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said.
Officials could not provide details about the case but said the child is home and doing well.
The syndrome is serious but rare, health officials say. However, more cases could be seen as more cases of COVID-19 are reported.
Most children and teenagers who contract coronavirus have mild symptoms, but MIS-C can affect bodily organs, including the heart, in children who are currently infected or who were recently infected, officials say.
State health officials are monitoring the potential for more cases.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 7:04 AM.
