Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on June 12
We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 41,000
At least 41,416 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,121 have died, according to state and county health departments.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported an additional 1,768 cases of the virus, the highest single-day increase in the state since the pandemic began. Friday marked the fifth time in eight days the state’s new case count exceeded 1,000.
Friday’s reported case total broke the previous one-day record of 1,370, which was set June 6.
Health officials on Friday reported completing more than 20,000 new tests for the virus for a total of 595,697. About 9% of tests have come back positive.
“The percent positive rate cannot be calculated by simply dividing the number of cases by the number of completed tests, mainly due to the timing of when tests are administered and when and how test results are submitted to the state from labs,” The News & Observer reported.
NC hits its first peak
The percentage of positive cases continuing to climb puts North Carolina in the midst of its “first wave” — or peak, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said Friday.
Cohen said the positive coronavirus test rate is “among the highest in the country,” The News & Observer reported, and it correlates with when the state started to reopen on May 8.
“This isn’t a second wave. This for us is a first,” Cohen said. “I think this is our first experience at an increase. It reminds us that this virus is here and we have to live with this virus, because we don’t have a vaccine. We don’t have a cure.”
Judge rules against Butner inmates
A group of inmates at Butner lost a legal bid to free prisoners vulnerable to COVID-19 on Friday when a federal judge ruled against them.
U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan said they failed to prove prison officials had treated them with “deliberate indifference” when considering the threat of the coronavirus.
“The court agrees with petitioners that the public interest is served by preventing unnecessary illness and death and slowing the spread of the virus,” Flanagan said in her decision. “Respondents, however, have made reasonable efforts to achieve those goals.”
Hospitalizations drop after record high
At least 760 coronavirus patients were in North Carolina hospitals on Friday, down from 812 the day before, according to state officials.
The drop ends a four-day streak of record-breaking COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
This week’s first jump in daily hospitalizations was reported Monday, when the total was 739.
Charlotte to host RNC for one day
Committee leaders on Thursday said the Republican National Convention will be held in North Carolina for one day before it heads out of the state.
About 336 delegates are scheduled to meet in Charlotte on Aug. 24 before they join a larger group in Jacksonville, Florida. The Queen City previously expected to host the four-day GOP convention, which would draw 50,000 people.
President Donald Trump last week said he would move the event from North Carolina. The announcement came after Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said he couldn’t guarantee a full crowd in the Spectrum Center due to risks of spreading COVID-19.
American restores some Charlotte flights
American Airlines is upping its flight offerings next month after significantly reducing operations in May and June.
The airline has scheduled 415 daily departures from Charlotte Douglas International Airport for July, putting it at 59% of what its service was around the same time last year, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The increased frequency of flights include popular destinations in Florida, such as Pensacola, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, Fort Walton Beach and Sarasota. Asheville, Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston are also on the list.
Cooper tests negative for COVID-19
Gov. Roy Cooper announced on social media Thursday that he tested negative for the coronavirus, and encouraged others to get tested.
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 in the custody of Minneapolis police.
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.
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.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 6:55 AM.
