Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on June 11
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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 39,000
At least 39,535 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,106 have died, according to state and county health departments.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported an additional 1,310 cases of the virus, an increase from 1,011 cases reported the day before. Thursday’s daily case total was the second-highest ever reported in the state.
As of Thursday, the state was averaging about 1,100 daily cases over the last seven days.
Health officials on Thursday reported completing about 19,000 new tests for the virus for a total of more than 572,500. About 9% of tests have come back positive.
Hospitalizations spike again
Thursday marked the fourth consecutive day of record-breaking COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina, state officials say.
At least 812 coronavirus patients were in North Carolina hospitals on Thursday, the highest daily total reported since the start of the pandemic. About 86% of hospitals reported data.
Thursday’s total broke the previous record of 780, which was reported the day before.
Prior all-time highs also reported this week included 774 hospitalizations on Tuesday and 739 hospitalizations on Monday, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Cooper announces test results
Gov. Roy Cooper announced on social media Thursday that he tested negative for the coronavirus, and encouraged others to get tested.
“My COVID-19 test results have come back negative, and I have had no symptoms,” he tweeted. “I encourage anyone who has been in a crowd to get tested even if you have no symptoms. “
Mass protests have taken place across the state every day since May 30 after the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a black man who died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
Other mass gatherings, such as ReopenNC protests and events at Ace Speedway, have also taken place in recent months.
Cooper and N.C. DHHS secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen have encouraged anyone who attended such gatherings to get tested for the virus.
Road test bill will go to governor
A bill that would waive the road test requirement for teens seeking a provisional driver’s license will go to Gov. Roy Cooper.
House Bill 158, approved by lawmakers Thursday, would allow teenagers to obtain a provisional license without passing a road test if they meet all other requirements, including passing a driver’s education course or test and 60 hours of supervised driving.
The Division of Motor Vehicles stopped offering road tests in March due to the coronavirus, and it’s unclear when the tests will resume. The waiver would last until road tests are offered again.
The bill would also reduce the number of instruction hours required to get a learner’s permit for those who couldn’t finish the class in the spring.
No fans allowed at speedway, judge rules
An Alamance County judge on Thursday ruled a local speedway shouldn’t be allowed to have fans in the stands during races.
Superior Court Judge D. Thomas Lambeth Jr. sided with the state, which sued Ace Speedway for violating the governor’s executive order that limits mass gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The racetrack, where thousands have gathered without social distancing or face masks, was ordered by the state to close Monday, and Cooper called it an “imminent hazard.”
The judge set another hearing on the issue for June 19.
State details plan for reopening public schools
North Carolina officials on Thursday released details from plans for reopening public schools this fall. The N.C. Department of Public Instruction outlined three options that could be used, depending on the progress of statewide coronavirus figures.
Plan A would be used if “COVID-19 metrics stabilize and improve,” The News & Observer reported. That option includes in-person instruction, some social distancing and screening for symptoms.
Plan B is the option if “COVID-19 metrics don’t improve,” the newspaper reported. Under that plan, schools would have 50% capacity and could schedule some remote classes, alternating days, half days or other options.
Plan C, which would be used if “COVID-19 metrics significantly worsen,” involves only online classes.
Public schools have been offering remote instruction since March after Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all campus buildings to close to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Concern from White House
The White House Coronavirus Task Force is concerned about the spread of coronavirus in some North Carolina counties.
The state is ramping up testing and resources in those counties and others, including Alamance, Duplin, Durham, Forsyth, Johnston, Lee, Mecklenburg and Wake.
That’s according to Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, who addressed the issue Wednesday.
The doubling rate of positive cases has shortened in some of the eight named counties but lengthened in others, data from The News & Observer show.
Doubling rate is the time it takes the case count to double. A shorter doubling time indicates a faster spread.
Of the eight counties the White House expressed concern for, the doubling time is generally decreasing in Alamance, Durham, Johnston, Mecklenburg and Wake counties. It’s recently increased in Duplin, Forsyth and Lee counties, data show.
Republican National Convention changes
The Republican National Convention in Charlotte will be a scaled-down version and won’t include President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech.
More than 50,000 people were expected in Charlotte for the event in August, but the RNC’s executive committee has now reduced that number of delegates to the “bare minimum,” The Charlotte Observer reported.
Trump will give his speech elsewhere, possibly in Jacksonville, Florida.
The changes come after weeks of back-and-forth between the GOP and N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper. Trump and other Republican officials had requested full attendance at the event, but Cooper said that would not be likely.
Bill to reopen gyms, bars goes to governor
A bill that wold would allow gyms and bars to reopen at 50% capacity will go to Gov. Roy Cooper.
The bill, sponsored by Alamance County Republican Sen. Rick Gunn, passed in the North Carolina House 69-50 mostly along party lines and 36-13 in the Senate after much debate, with only seven Democrats voting in favor. It will now go to Cooper, a Democrat, who will likely veto it.
This is the second time the legislature has tried to reopen certain businesses the governor ordered closed in March in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. House Bill 536 aimed to reopen bars and double restaurant capacity but was vetoed by Cooper on Friday.
Gunn then updated the new bill Monday to include gyms in addition to bars and restaurants and on Tuesday introduced an amendment that would allow the governor to close the businesses again if there’s a spike in coronavirus cases.
Gym owners’ request denied
A request from a group of gym owners for a temporary restraining order against the governor, which would have allowed them to reopen their businesses, was denied by a Wake County judge Wednesday.
A group of fitness facility owners sued Cooper last month, arguing he is violating their constitutional rights. But Cooper and Cohen, the state’s top health official, have said these types of businesses pose a greater threat for COVID-19 spread.
The judge, James L. Gale, will allow the group to present more evidence for a preliminary injunction hearing.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 7:08 AM.
