Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Oct. 1
Click here for updates for Oct. 2.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 212,000
At least 212,909 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 3,579 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported 2,277 new COVID-19 cases, up from 1,495 the day before and the most new daily confirmed cases since July 30.
Cases that were missing from Tuesday’s count due to a technical problem were included in Wednesday’s total, the health department said.
Forty-seven deaths were reported Thursday.
About 5.7% of tests were reported positive on Tuesday, the most recent date for which data is available. That’s above health officials’ goal of 5% or lower
At least 939 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday, down from 946 reported the day before.
Barbecue restaurant at center of mask controversy
An iconic Eastern North Carolina barbecue restaurant has made news this week over a coronavirus-related controversy it’s found itself in.
A customer complained earlier this week about employees not wearing masks, and a group of supporters formed on Facebook soon after, The News & Observer reports. Supporters in the group, which has grown to 24,000 members, plan to meet at the restaurant for lunch Saturday and many are vowing not to wear a mask.
Face coverings have been required in public and at work in North Carolina since July.
Teresa Ellen, Wilson County health department director, confirmed to The N&O that the department has received multiple complaints of coronavirus-related violations regarding Parker’s.
Kent Glover of Wilson told The N&O that it’s inevitable the community would rally around the restaurant.
“Parker’s has always been an icon,” Glover said. “People are going to rally around Parker’s for sure. The guys always do a good job.”
The health department encourages people attending the gathering Saturday to follow guidelines.
“As a public health representative, I’m going to promote that everyone remain six feet apart, wear masks and practices good hygiene,” Ellen said. “We’re supportive of all our restaurants. We’re here to provide guidance.”
NC changes mail-in ballot procedures
The North Carolina Board of Elections on Thursday changed its procedure for handling absentee ballots without a signature until legal confusion is sorted out after a federal judge blasted the process.
U.S. District Court Judge William Osteen on Wednesday wrote that the board has “re-written the one-witness requirement, a statute this court previously upheld, to permit submission of an absentee ballot without a witness,” which he said “undermines” and “in effect eliminates” the state legislature’s interest in preventing fraud.
The board introduced the new process as part of a proposed settlement over a mail-in voting lawsuit. Elections officials under the changed rule would contact voters who submitted ballots without witness signatures and allow them to sign forms confirming their identity.
Before, voters who left the witness section blank would have to submit a new absentee ballot.
Though some elected officials say the witness requirement can protect against election fraud, several lawsuits contend finding a signature can be a burden during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Osteen ordered those involved in the lawsuit to come to court “at the earliest possible date,” the N&O reported.
Now, the state Board of Election says it will set aside ballots that arrive without a witness signature and won’t approve or reject them until judges weigh in further. It also sent county boards the new instructions.
“Absentee envelopes with a missing witness signature shall be kept in a secure location and shall not be considered by the county board until further notice,” the elections board wrote in a memo. “Once the State Board receives further direction from a court, we will issue guidance to county boards on what actions they should take regarding container-return envelopes with a missing witness signature.”
‘Probable’ case closes NC school; Charlotte district may modify plans
Hillside High School in Durham will shut down until Friday due to a suspected coronavirus case.
It marks the fifth time the virus has forced Durham Public Schools to temporarily close a facility, The News & Observer reported Thursday.
While no one is thought to have transmitted COVID-19 at the district’s schools, a Hillside employee present for SAT testing on Saturday likely contracted the virus. Officials will identify anyone who may have been near the worker during the exam.
Also in North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools may modify its reopening plan. The district during an emergency session on Thursday could discuss bringing elementary students to campuses more frequently, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Unemployment rates fall across NC
Unemployment rates decreased in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties between July and August.
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.
The statewide rate also fell from 8.5% in July to 6.5% in August.
But those numbers in part represent 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.
Phase 3 of reopening to start Friday
Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday announced North Carolina will enter Phase 3 of his reopening plan at 5 p.m. Friday.
The phase will allow more businesses in the state to reopen. Bars will be allowed to operate outdoors only at 30% capacity or 100 customers, whichever is less. All patrons must be wearing face masks when not actively eating or drinking, and alcohol sales must end at 11 p.m.
Bar owners and others held a rally in Charlotte on Thursday, to protest the outdoor-only seating requirement, which The North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association, an industry advocacy group, has called “pointless.”
Organizers of the “Save Our Bars Charlotte” rally urged leaders to stand up for bars they say are “being forced out of existence.”
Movie theaters can 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.
Limits on gatherings remain at 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors.
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.
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 fall 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. UNC and ECU could reopen their campuses with precautions.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 6:58 AM.
