Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on June 25
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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 57,000
At least 57,183 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,284 have died, according to state and county health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported an additional 1,009 cases of the virus, down from 1,721 on Wednesday.
At least 891 coronavirus patients were in North Carolina hospitals on Thursday, the third-highest daily hospitalization count reported since the start of the pandemic.
Thursday’s hospitalizations were down from 906 on Wednesday and 915 on Tuesday, a record high.
About 90% of hospitals reported data to the state Thursday, compared to 88% on Wednesday.
Health officials on Thursday reported completing an additional 19,993 tests, for a total of 811,278. The percentage of positive cases was 9%.
Bill introduced to reopen playgrounds
A bill introduced in the North Carolina Senate on Thursday would allow playgrounds to reopen with limited capacity and daily cleaning.
Playgrounds are required to remain closed under Phase Two of North Carolina’s reopening plan.
The bill says playground visitors should be “encouraged” to wear masks, and that playground equipment should be “used in a manner to ensure social distancing of at least six feet.”
Sen. Natasha Marcus, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, questioned “the absurdity of expecting children on a playground are going to stay six feet apart.”
A legislative staffer told senators playground operators could block off half the swings on a set.
But no one could answer whether other equipment could open or if outdoor playgrounds have a posted fire capacity that would be used to determine their 50% capacity.
Forest plans to sue Cooper
Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said on Facebook on Thursday that he plans to file a lawsuit against Gov. Roy Cooper over his executive orders related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Today, I notified Governor Cooper that, as a member of the Council of State, I will be suing his administration for violating the Emergency Management Act,” the post said. “The Governor has repeatedly ignored the law, enacting mandates that selectively target the businesses and citizens of North Carolina without concurrence from a majority of the Council of State.”
Forest, a Republican who is running against Cooper, said that before he can officially file the suit, Cooper is required by law to approve his use of independent legal counsel.
“State agencies in North Carolina are required to use the Attorney General’s office to file lawsuits or else get an exception from the Governor,” Forest continued. “As the Attorney General has been responsible for drafting the unlawful Executive Orders I’m challenging, I have decided the only path forward is with independent counsel.”
This comes after Cooper on Wednesday announced the state was staying in Phase Two of reopening as key metrics for the virus have been moving in the wrong direction.
Hospitals prepare for surge
Hospital capacity is steady now in North Carolina, but health care leaders are preparing for an influx of patients.
Hospital leaders believe the flow of new patients will be much more manageable now that hospital systems have worked together to increase capacity and share personal protective equipment, or PPE, which three months ago was in short supply.
But leaders warn that even with additional capacity, there are still limits, and they’re concerned about those limits if trends continue as they have.
“We’re in a much better place than we were when we began this,” said Dr. West Paul, chief clinical officer at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. “That being said, if you look at our hospitalizations, they continue to go up.”
It’s also about more than just beds, it’s about “staff, stuff and space.”
“We need more capacity right now, because sometimes it’s just not simply if your hospital is full or not. Sometimes it is, ‘My ICU is full or my operating rooms can’t get the patient through because of (not enough) floor staff.’ So there’s a lot of flow we have to deal with,” Paul said.
State remains in Phase Two
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that North Carolina will remain in Phase Two of his reopening plan for three more weeks.
Phase Two, which started May 22, was set to expire Friday, and more businesses would have been allowed to reopen and more restrictions would have loosened if the state moved into the next phase. But health officials remain concerned about key metrics, which have been moving in the wrong direction.
Wednesday’s hospitalizations count was the second-highest the state has seen since the start of the pandemic, as was the daily case count. The percentage of positive tests has also remained high, as health officials say it should be closer to 5%.
“Our cautious approach is like a dimmer switch, rather than an on/off switch,” Cooper said during a news conference Wednesday. “Over the past weeks and months, even as we’ve slowly turned the dimmer switch up and eased restrictions, we’ve seen community spread of the virus increase in North Carolina.”
For more restrictions to be relaxed, health officials say there needs to be a downward trend or “sustained leveling” of daily trends, including the number of lab-confirmed cases, hospitalizations, percent of positive tests and people in emergency departments with coronavirus-like symptoms.
Hours after Cooper’s announcement, the state House didn’t get enough votes to override Cooper’s veto of a bill that would have allowed bars and gyms to reopen with limited capacity. It’s possible restrictions on those businesses will be lifted in Phase Three, which could start as early as July 17.
Face mask requirement
The governor on Wednesday issued a statewide face mask requirement.
Face masks will be required in public starting at 5 p.m. Friday. Exceptions apply to children under the age of 11, people with certain medical conditions and people exercising outdoors, away from other people.
Enforcement will mainly be the responsibility of businesses and stores. Businesses or organizations that don’t enforce the requirement could be cited. Individuals won’t be cited, but if they enter a business without masks and refuse to leave, they could be charged with trespassing.
All employees and customers of retail businesses, restaurants, salons and other personal care businesses are required to wear masks as are those who work in manufacturing, construction, state government agencies, meat processing and agriculture settings. Masks are also required on public transportation.
“We’re adding this new requirement because we don’t want to go backward,” Cooper said during a news conference. “We want to stabilize our numbers so we can continue to safely ease restrictions, and most importantly, get our children back in school.”
Some cities and counties in North Carolina already have face mask requirements in place, including Raleigh and Durham and Orange counties.
After a mask order went into effect in Raleigh, police officers were seen without masks as protesters shouted near them on Friday.
“Where it is possible to maintain social distancing, and when religious beliefs or a medical condition may prevent them from wearing a face mask, officers (as well as the public) are not required to wear them,” spokesperson Donna-maria Harris wrote in an email.
Harris told The News & Observer “the situation was addressed with our two officers later that evening.”
North Carolina is the third state in the South to issue a mask mandate, behind Kentucky and Virginia. The governors of both of those states issued the mandates in May.
Some sheriffs won’t enforce rule
At least four North Carolina sheriffs have said they won’t enforce the governor’s mask mandate.
Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton called the mandate “unconstitutional” in a Facebook post and said he will only enforce it if “court ordered by a Judicial Official or the Legislature.” He said enforcing it will distract officers from criminal investigations.
“It is my belief that Governor Cooper’s executive order mandating face coverings by all citizens in public is not only unconstitutional, but unenforceable,” the post said. “My deputies will NOT enforce an executive order that I feel violates the constitutional liberties of citizens.”
Halifax Sheriff Wes Tripp said he believes wearing a mask is a personal choice.
“I certainly encourage people to be careful and take safety precautions, however your Sheriff’s Office will not be taking enforcement actions against people or businesses for not wearing masks,” Tripp posted on Facebook.
Beaufort County Sheriff Ernie Coleman also said his deputies won’t enforce the order.
“Common sense should dictate that if you feel any symptoms you should wear a mask for the protection of others or better yet stay home,” he said.
The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office will also not issue citations for violations of the mandate.
The governor’s executive order says he has the power to issue the face mask requirement under the State of Emergency that includes directing “State and local law enforcement officers and agencies” to enforce compliance.
Businesses donating masks
Some of North Carolina’s largest businesses say they will donate 1 million face masks in response to the statewide mandate.
Gene Woods, CEO of Atrium Health, said at a Wednesday news conference that the hospital system, the Carolina Panthers, Bank of America, Honeywell, Lowe’s, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Red Ventures and other North Carolina businesses would donate the masks to people and families in need.
“The virus respects no geographical or political lines and it’s my hope that our elected leaders across this great state can come together to keep North Carolinians safe and also to return our state to economic health,” Woods said during the conference, The Charlotte Observer reported.
House fails to override veto
The North Carolina House on Wednesday fell short of overriding the governor’s veto of a bill that would’ve allowed bars and gyms to reopen at 50% capacity.
House Bill 594, sponsored by Sen. Rick Gunn of Burlington, was one of the legislature’s four attempts to reopen businesses Cooper closed in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Cooper also vetoed House Bill 536, which would have allowed bars to reopen at limited capacity and restaurants at full capacity while seating half of customers outside.
Two other bills, one that would reopen bowling alleys and skating rinks and one that would reopen amusement parks and entertainment venues, have both been sent to the governor.
Judge rules against Alamance speedway
A North Carolina judge ruled Wednesday that an Alamance County speedway cannot hold racing events during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ace Speedway held events that brought thousands of spectators together despite a statewide ban on outdoor gatherings of more than 25 people. On June 11, Superior Court Judge D. Thomas Lambeth Jr. ordered the speedway to close.
He issued a temporary restraining order that barred further races. The order expired Wednesday, but the judge granted a preliminary injunction that mandates the speedway follow the state’s rules on mass gatherings.
Last week the track’s owners testified they took precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, and their attorney argued the pandemic hadn’t spread enough in North Carolina to justify a state of emergency.
On Wednesday, Lambeth ruled the state health department made a “clear and compelling” case that the COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency and that mass gatherings like race track crowds are linked to an increased spread.
Travel advisory includes North Carolina
Three states will require travelers from North Carolina to quarantine for 14 days.
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will require everyone traveling from states with “significant community spread” of the virus to self-quarantine for two weeks, governors of the three states announced Wednesday.
The travel advisory starts Thursday and applies to states with a positive coronavirus test rate that’s higher than 10 per 100,000 people and to states that have a seven-day rolling average of at least 10% in terms of tests that come back positive, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wrote on Facebook.
As of Wednesday, that includes Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Utah, Texas and Washington, according to Cuomo.
Gov. Roy Cooper said during a news conference Wednesday that he disagrees with the advisory.
“I think that’s going to cause problems for families and for businesses and I think we’ve all got to realize that we’re in this thing together,” he said. “But I think it also tells us that all of us need to be more careful about washing, keeping six feet of social distancing and masking.”
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 6:45 AM.
