Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Sept. 30
Click here for updates for Oct. 1.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 210,000
At least 210,632 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 3,532 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 1,495 new COVID-19 cases, up from 889 the day before.
The health department says the actual number of cases on Tuesday was higher as a technical problem prevented some laboratory information from being processed. The missing numbers were included in Wednesday’s count.
Thirty-eight deaths were reported Wednesday.
About 5.3% of tests were reported positive on Monday, the most recent date for which data is available. That’s slightly above health officials’ goal of 5% or lower
At least 956 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, an increase from 950 reported the day before and the highest number reported since Aug. 28.
In the Charlotte area, there has been an improvement in case counts, hospitalizations and the percentage of positive tests. Most people who work for Mecklenburg County are expected to continue to work remotely for the rest of the year, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.
Triangle, Mecklenburg see lowest unemployment in months
The Triangle and Mecklenburg County reported the lowest unemployment rates since the start of the pandemic.
In the Triangle, the unemployment rate fell to 6.1% in August from 8% in July and a peak of 11.3% in May. August’s rate is the lowest it’s been in the area since March, when it was 3.8%.
Mecklenburg County’s rate fell to 7.6% in August, down more than two percentage points from July and the lowest it’s been since April.
Unemployment rates decreased in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties between July and August. The statewide rate also fell from 8.5% in July to 6.5% in August.
But those numbers represent in part a drop in the workforce overall, as unemployment numbers only include those actively looking for work. The seasonally adjusted workforce shrank from 4,897,607 to 4,825,921 between July and August, a decline of more than 70,000 people, or 1.5%.
Some warn the improvements are temporary.
“We’re not out of the woods yet and we have been and are being held up artificially in a lot of ways by federal dollars and other public dollars,” Henry McKoy, a professor at North Carolina Central University School of Business and former N.C. assistant secretary of Commerce, told The News & Observer.
State to enter Phase 3
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that North Carolina will start Phase 3 of his reopening plan at 5 p.m. Friday.
Bars can reopen at 30% outdoor capacity. Those without outdoor seating can open outdoor spaces with capacities of seven people for every 1,000 square feet.
Movie theaters can also reopen with 30% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less. Outdoor amusement parks can also reopen at 30% but indoor amusement parks must remain closed. Outdoor entertainment venues with capacities greater than 10,000 can reopen at 7% capacity.
Smaller outdoor venues can reopen at 30% capacity or 100 guests, whichever is less.
The phase will remain in effect until 5 p.m. Oct. 23. Phase 2.5 began Sept. 4 and was set to expire Friday.
COVID-19 trends in the state have been mostly stable in September, but Cooper urged people to remain cautious.
“Our stability is fragile,” he said during a news conference Wednesday. “I believe that North Carolina can do this safely. But so I am clear, every gathering carries the risk of spreading this disease. Being safe means being smart and making sure others around you are doing the same.”
UNC-Charlotte to resume in-person learning
UNC-Charlotte says it will resume in-person classes for some students Thursday, citing an “ongoing decline” in Mecklenburg County’s COVID-19 infection rate.
Everyone on campus must wear a face covering, social distance and participate in daily health checks. Dorms are single occupancy, and testing and contact tracing efforts are in place on campus.
But Chancellor Sharon Gaber said COVID-19 cases are still “probable” on campus, The Charlotte Observer reports.
“But if we work together, we believe they can be responsibly managed through isolation, quarantine and appropriate medical care,” Gaber said. “We are seeing similar outcomes at other institutions in the System and around the country.”
Other schools in North Carolina have also opened for in-person instruction during the pandemic. Some — N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill and East Carolina University — previously moved their classes online after COVID-19 cases were reported at the start of the semester.
N.C. State recently said it plans to hold in-person classes and have students back in dorms during the spring semester, The News & Observer reported.
7 coronavirus-related deaths at Raleigh-area nursing home
Seven new coronavirus-related deaths have been reported among residents at a nursing home near Raleigh, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
That brings the resident death toll at The Laurels of Forest Glenn to 21, The News & Observer reported Tuesday.
The Garner facility has had one of the largest ongoing outbreaks of the virus in the area. At least 115 coronavirus cases have been linked to the facility, including 87 among residents and 28 among employees, officials say.
Mail-in ballot processing begins
County elections boards across North Carolina began processing absentee ballots Tuesday.
Demand for mail-in ballots has increased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of late Monday, 1,095,327 North Carolina voters had requested absentee ballots — over 10 times more requests than during the same time in 2016.
Democrats and Republicans have been at odds over what to do with mail-in ballots with mistakes.
The N.C. Board of Elections last week announced it reached a settlement with a political group representing retirees and extended the amount of time that ballots postmarked by Election Day could arrive and still be counted. It also made it easier to fix mistakes on ballots.
Republicans have called the rule changes illegal and two Republican members of the board stepped down after voting to approve the settlement, saying they were misled.
On Tuesday, the state Republican Party “lashed out” at an email the board sent to local boards directing them to follow the state’s guidance, The News & Observer reports.
Democrats say Republicans are only raising questions about the ballots to create mistrust about the election.
So far, Democrats have seemed “more inclined” to vote by mail than Republicans.
Summer slowdowns from the U.S. Postal Service led to concerns about whether completed absentee ballots would arrive before the November election.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in August urged people to vote early but said “we will do everything we can to handle and deliver election mail in a manner consistent with the proven processes and procedures that we have relied upon for years.”
The N.C. Watchdog Reporting Network sent sample letters and found 98.6% of them were delivered on time, in line with officials’ goals of delivering 95% of first-class mail within five days. But one of the 153 letters never arrived, another came late, and some had postmarks that were illegible or difficult to read.
“Ballots that arrive after Election Day and lack a postmark are, typically, thrown out by county boards of elections,” according to the N.C. Watchdog Reporting Network.
Halloween guidelines released
The state health department has released guidelines for celebrating Halloween during the coronavirus pandemic, The News & Observer reported Tuesday.
Health officials strongly recommend parents don’t send their children door-to-door to trick or treat. Doing so, along with taking candy from a shared bucket and attending crowded, indoor costume parties are all considered high-risk activities, the department says.
Giving out individually wrapped “goodie bags,” attending outdoor parties with social distancing and masks and tossing candy to children from 6 feet away are considered moderate-risk activities.
Pumpkin carving and virtual events are considered low risk.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the health department, has asked mayors to adopt local guidelines.
Some Wake students to return; consequences for refusing to wear masks
The Wake County school system on Tuesday approved a plan to start face-to-face classes for elementary and middle school students within the next two months.
High school students will continue online classes through at least January.
The vote comes as the school district says it could fire staff and suspend students who repeatedly refuse to wear masks.
A draft of guidelines before the Wake County School Board Tuesday emphasizes the importance of wearing face coverings to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and outlined potential consequences for those who continually to violate the policy.
The guidelines include a few exceptions to the requirement, including short mask breaks, students who have a behavioral issue and employees who have a medical issue.
Nearby, Orange County Schools is bringing teachers back next month. The school board voted Tuesday voted to reopen for ”pre-K students and those in separate exceptional children’s classes Oct. 27,” The News & Observer reported.
But other students in the school system will continue online learning until January, when they will start a mix of in-person and virtual classes, according to the board’s decision.
Program to help Raleigh-area renters during COVID-19
Residents who have fallen behind on rent can get help through a new program in Wake County.
To be eligible, each person must demonstrate receiving a financial blow from COVID-19 and not getting other rental assistance. The initiative is expected to help roughly 3,000 households avoid evictions.
“The Wake County program will cover 50% of a person’s back rent from March to December if the landlord agrees to wave the remaining balance,” The News & Observer reported Tuesday. “Landlords must also offer 25% discounted rent for January through March 2021 and agree to not pursue eviction.”
Outdoor dining areas planned for Charlotte
The city of Charlotte started a program to bring restaurant dining to its streets during the pandemic.
Plaza Midwood is home to the “first of up to about 15” al fresco sites planned through the StreetEats program, The Charlotte Observer reported. Monica Holmes, Charlotte city planner, said the initiative helps restaurants that have struggled during COVID-19.
Restaurants have been ordered to operate at 50% capacity to help stop the spread of the disease.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 7:29 AM.
