‘This thing is not over.’ NC governor says White House COVID-19 example is ‘frustrating’
Gov. Roy Cooper stressed sticking to health safety measures and wearing face coverings as COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina have increased and President Donald Trump, who has COVID-19, has downplayed the severity of the pandemic.
He cautioned that the pandemic could worsen later this fall and into winter as more people head indoors — where the virus is more easily spread.
“This thing is not over,” Cooper said at a Tuesday press conference.
Cooper said the news coming out of Washington, D.C., about large gatherings, where people don’t wear masks and don’t social distance, is “frustrating.”
“You can see what happens when those things occur, even when there’s testing going on,” he said.
Trump and at least 18 others who work in the White House or met with the president have COVID-19, according to The New York Times, including U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Several people who attended the White House reception for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett have COVID-19.
Trump was taken to Walter Reed Medical Center Friday to be treated and returned to the White House Monday night. Upon his arrival at the White House, he walked to a balcony and removed his mask. He also tweeted, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.” Monday afternoon before he left the hospital.
“That’s just the wrong signal to be sending,” Cooper said. “I’m so looking forward to when we can have public health issues taken out of the context of this election. We all need to come together as a state and country to get rid of this virus.”
Cooper said he wants to boost the economy and return all students to the classroom.
“And you don’t do that by pretending that the pandemic doesn’t exist and you don’t do it by acting like it’s not gonna hurt anybody,” Cooper said. “When in actuality, we know that it has killed over 3,600 North Carolinians in over 210,000 Americans. So we all need to work together.”
In North Carolina, 221,258 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus since March, when the pandemic began. There have been 3,670 COVID-19-related deaths, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported.
Phase 3 begins as cases rise
North Carolina started Phase 3 of its reopening Friday at 5 p.m. The executive order, which ends Oct. 23, allows bars to reopen after being closed since March. It also reopened movie theaters, entertainment spaces and amusement parks, with restrictions and capacity limits.
But, Cooper said, the increased social interactions and public activity gives the virus more chances to spread.
“Day-in and day-out, the virus is seizing opportunities to spread,” he said. “The most dangerous time is when people drop their guard and think this isn’t serious. As we saw in Washington over the weekend, the virus is quick to spread and many times slow to leave.”
Some of the metrics state officials track have highlighted the instability of progress.
On Monday, there were 1,013 patients with COVID-19 in state hospitals, more than have been reported since Aug. 20. The percent of coronavirus tests performed Sunday was 7.9%, the highest percentage since late July. Health officials want a positivity percentage of 5% or less.
The proportion of people go to hospital emergency rooms with COVID-19-like symptoms has been increasing since mid-September, according to DHHS.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, DHHS secretary, said no coronavirus hot spots has been identified in the state.
“What we’re seeing, really, is rising cases across the state,” she said.
Help for childcare
Elementary schools were allowed to reopen this week under Plan A, which requires masks but not the distancing restrictions of Plan B, which middle and high schools are required to maintain. It was left to local school districts to decide whether students would return under Plan A.
Cooper announced Tuesday that $35 million in grants will be available for licensed childcare centers.
Grants will be awarded to providers who operated in-person August through October. The grants are to “help offset the significant financial strains due to the additional expenses to meet health and safety guidelines, while experiencing reduced revenues from lower enrollment,” according to the governor’s office.
Bars status
The North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association called Phase 3 “an unworkable path” and “pointless” after the announcment last week. Bars are only allowed to operate at 30% capacity in outdoor spaces.
Zack Medford, president of the association, said then that most bars can’t afford to reopen under the order as many don’t have outdoor seating.
Medford said bars should be allowed to open indoors at 50%, which is the same capacity as restaurants that serve alcohol.
“Bars are ready to open safely, and we know how to do it. We just need a real chance,” Medford said.
Cooper was asked Tuesday why bars can’t reopen under the same rules as restaurants that also have bars.
“We put restrictions in place in order to reduce mass gatherings, particularly inside in places where we’ve seen spreading events across the country. And this is why those restrictions are in place and are important,” Cooper said.
Cohen told reporters on Tuesday that they are ramping up testing with more than 400 free testing events across the state. She also said that DHHS had received 200,000 rapid antigen tests on Monday that will be sent to 52 “high priority” counties’ health departments.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 2:59 PM.
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