Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on May 26
Click here for updates for May 27.
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 24,417 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 802 have died as of Tuesday afternoon, state and county health departments say.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported 176 new coronavirus cases, down from 742 on Monday. Case counts have spiked as testing ramps up throughout the state.
Officials say 352,331 coronavirus tests have been completed as of Tuesday. Of those tests, 6.9% have been positive, according to state data.
At least 621 people were in hospitals with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, down from 627 the day before. Monday’s daily hospitalization count was the highest total state officials reported since the pandemic began.
Enforcing crowd ban
Gov. Roy Cooper said during a news conference Tuesday that his administration is “considering all options” to stop large gatherings, which are banned in North Carolina.
Phase Two of the state’s reopening plan, which started May 22, allows for outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people and indoor gatherings of 10 people. But over the weekend auto racing at Ace Speedway in Alamance County attracted 4,000 people after the speedway owners were given the go-ahead from county officials.
“That is a dangerous situation that ought to concern all the local officials and all the citizens surrounding that venue,” the governor said. “It is a completely reckless way to operate.”
Additionally, more than 250 people gathered for an alternative medicine conference at a Charlotte hotel over the weekend, which police were aware of but issued no citations for, The Charlotte Observer reports.
Phase Two will last until at least June 26, and the state will only be able to move into the next phase of reopening if trend benchmarks are met.
Another school cuts sports
Appalachian State University said Tuesday it has cut men’s soccer, men’s tennis and men’s indoor track and field from its athletic program due to financial concerns during the pandemic.
The cuts will equal a $5 million budget reduction. Scholarships will still be honored for athletes who want to return and for incoming signees.
Last week, East Carolina University cut men’s and women’s swimming and men’s and women’s tennis from its athletic program.
Domestic violence reports increase during pandemic
Some North Carolina counties saw a big jump in reports of domestic violence as businesses, schools and churches were closed due to the coronavirus.
In some counties, the number of reported incidents more than doubled in April compared to March, Sherry Honeycutt Everett, legal and policy director with the N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence, told The News & Observer.
Charlotte saw a 17% increase in March compared with the same time last year, N.C. Policy Watch reported.
Experts say the increase in reported incidents isn’t surprising as people deal with job losses, financial strain and children at home instead of school.
More protests
Protesters gathered in Raleigh on Monday to call out businesses that still face coronavirus-related restrictions in North Carolina. Rallies were also held in “Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro and Wilmington,” The News & Observer reported.
The group ReOpen NC has been organizing protests in downtown Raleigh on Tuesdays but adjusted this week’s rallies so they would fall on Memorial Day.
It was the first demonstration after video surfaced of Adam Smith, husband of group leader Ashley, saying “he would be willing to lay down his life and kill people in defense of liberty,” The News & Observer reported.
He said the Raw Story website took his comments out of context and told reporters he would “never want to see anyone die.”
North Carolina is in the second phase of Cooper’s reopening plan, which allowed salons, dine-in restaurants and swimming pools to reopen, with some restrictions. Gyms, bars and movie theaters are among the businesses that remain closed.
Trump threatens to move RNC from Charlotte
President Donald Trump on Monday said he would move the Republican National Convention from North Carolina if “full attendance” isn’t allowed from the state.
“I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena,” the president wrote on Twitter.
In response, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday encouraged the president to consider moving the event to his state.
Gov. Roy Cooper said during a news conference Tuesday that safety, not politics, will guide any decisions made about the convention.
“I’m not surprised by anything I see on Twitter,” he said. “It’s OK for political conventions to be political but pandemic response cannot be. . . We’d like to reach a resolution that everybody can be reasonable about.”
Also, N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen asked convention CEO Marcia Kelly to share a ”COVID-19 safety plan,” The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday.
The GOP convention is set to start Aug. 24 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
The event was once expected to attract more than 50,000 people. Currently, coronavirus-related restrictions don’t allow for indoor gatherings of more than 10 people in North Carolina.
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 6:55 AM.
