Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Oct. 9
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 227,000
At least 227,431 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 3,747 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported 2,034 new COVID-19 cases, down from 2,428 the day before.
Twenty-five deaths were added to the total on Friday.
About 5.7% of tests were reported positive on Wednesday, the most recent day with available data. That’s lower than the 8% of positive test results reported over the weekend but a bit higher than the 5% recommended by health officials.
At least 1,065 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, up from 1,040 day before. Thursday’s preliminary hospitalization total was listed as 1,051.
DHHS reported at least 390 suspected COVID-19 patients were admitted to the state’s hospitls in the last 24 hours.
Restaurants find sweet spot for outdoor dining as weather cools
Restaurants that were forced to shut down during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic — many of which didn’t reopen when the state eased restrictions — are now “finding themselves with a seasonal sweet spot,” The News & Observer reported.
With the weather cooler, some are opting to finally reopen with outdoor-only dining after months of exclusively serving takeout.
“It definitely feels like this is our shot,” Cheetie Kumar, who owns Garland restaurant in downtown Raleigh, told The N&O. “This is a big bridge for us. We don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s tension mounting with the election, the weather’s changing.”
Lee-Ann Jaykus, a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor at N.C. State who’s been working with the food industry on COVID-19 transmission, said eating outside is the less riskier option “because the air flow disperses the virus and the UV light makes it less infectious,” The N&O reported.
But the impending winter brings a new set of challenges. Some restaurants say they’ll keep investing in outdoor seating and bring in heaters to make it more comfortable.
Health director says early voting safe in Charlotte
Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said early voting in the Charlotte area is safe during the coronavirus pandemic, The Charlotte Observer reported.
All early voting sites are designed for social distancing and a “significant amount” of personal protective equipment will be distributed to poll workers and voters without face coverings, Harris said during a news conference Friday.
“Everyone is being encouraged to wear a mask and to socially distance,” she said. “At this point in time, we’re comfortable with the work that the (Mecklenburg County) Board of Elections is doing around these sites.”
There will be 33 sites in Charlotte for early voting from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31, The Observer reported.
While Mecklenburg County’s COVID-19 ambassadors are currently scheduled to inspect the early voting sites, hand sanitizer and Q-tips will be on hand, surfaces will be regularly cleaned and barriers will stand between poll workers and voters at check-in tables.
The county’s COVID-19 metrics have remained stable in recent days, with an average of 86 individuals hospitalized over the last week and an average positive test rate of 4.9%.
Forest tries to push for school reopening
Lt. Gov. Dan Forest tried to convince the N.C. State Board of Education to allow every public school in the state to have the option of fully moving to in-person classes.
Forest, a member of the state board and the Republican candidate for governor, argued Thursday that the decision shouldn’t have been left to his opponent Gov. Roy Cooper.
“But Forest’s motion to allow all K-12 public schools to fully reopen was determined to be out of order,” The News & Observer reported Friday. “The state board and the state Department of Public Instruction have worked with the governor’s office on school reopening issues.”
Cooper, a Democrat, let the state’s elementary schools start having daily face-to-face classes but kept restrictions for middle schoolers and high schoolers.
More than 100 Amazon workers test positive in NC
About 133 Amazon employees in North Carolina have had coronavirus infections, data show.
The Charlotte Observer analyzed information from the online retailer, which revealed almost 20,000 confirmed or suspected cases among its U.S. workers since March.
Amazon has more than 1 million employees nationwide, including about 12,500 in North Carolina.
While the company says it shared infection rates to help worker safety and reopening plans, “a positive test does not mean someone became infected at work,” the Observer reported Friday.
Thousands in NC file for bankruptcy during coronavirus
Thousands of people in North Carolina went bankrupt as COVID-19 spread through the state.
More than 3,000 submitted bankruptcy filings from April to September, a time when governments postponed evictions, kept utilities running and took other measures to help keep the economy afloat.
While there are fewer filings than before the pandemic, experts say there could be a surge when some federal relief measures go away, The Charlotte Observer reported Friday.
“It doesn’t matter what the relief packages are now,” said Sara Greene, a Duke University law professor. “It could be for some people that they really were on the edge of filing. Then COVID-19 comes along and it makes things worse.”
Communication about preparing for COVID-19 started early
The state health department in North Carolina has spent hundreds of thousands of hours responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
Emails from a team monitoring a virus in China appeared as early as Jan. 15. From that time to mid-March, hundreds of emails about preparing for the disease were sent to Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Work with local health departments started in February, and the state had its first known infection March 3, the N.C. Watchdog Reporting Network reported Thursday.
Employees were asked on Feb. 13 to start tracking the time they spent on coronavirus-related tasks, records show. As of Monday, those totals reached 639,491 hours of regular work and 117,759 hours of overtime, according to a spokesperson.
Software error causes problems for parents getting COVID-19 relief check
North Carolina is poised to hand out a $335 coronavirus relief check to more than 1 million parents across the state on Dec. 15 — but up to 70,000 of them are at risk of missing out if an error on their 2019 tax forms isn’t corrected.
Extra Credit grants are going out automatically to parents who claimed a child deduction on their 2019 state taxes or who filled out an application because they didn’t earn enough to file taxes, The News & Observer reported.
Oct. 15 is the deadline to ensure you receive a check from the Department of Revenue.
But the department noticed in late September that some qualifying parents “might not be eligible for the automatic payment because of a tax preparation software error outside of the department,” according to The N&O.
The software error seems to have incorrectly recorded a “0” on line 10a because it was unable to claim a North Carolina child deduction for tax preparers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $120,000 if married filing jointly or $60,000 if single.
David Srulevitch, a certified public accountant in Charlotte, told The News & Observer the only way to correct it is for people to “check their returns for the accuracy of line 10a on Form D-400.” If it’s incorrect, they have until Oct. 15 to file an amended return.
UNC-Chapel Hill announces plans for spring semester
The start of classes for UNC-Chapel Hill will be delayed next semester and students won’t have a spring break under the administration’s new plan for reopening.
UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced Thursday that classes will begin Jan. 19 — almost two weeks later than usual — in order to provide “the maximum time between winter break and the start of classes,” The News & Observer reported. Graduation is now planned for Sunday, May 16.
Without a spring break, Guskiewicz said the university is planning “wellness days” for students throughout the semester.
“We have heard from many of you that we need to provide more breaks during the semester, so we will incorporate five days either individually or in combined clusters for that purpose,” the chancellor said.
No exams, quizzes or major assignments are to be due in the days after those breaks as well.
Schools could test some students for coronavirus
North Carolina school districts may start regular COVID-19 testing to help monitor the disease’s spread in their regions.
The state Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday shared plans that could be used for children or adults at schools, The News & Observer reported.
“If a district is interested or able to pursue a broader testing strategy in order to mitigate the spread of COVID on their campus or in their community, a school could absolutely consider that,” Rebecca Planchard, a DHHS senior policy advisor, told the state Board of Education.
Across the state, more students are moving from online-only to in-person instruction. DHHS plans to release testing guidance as antigen tests are more widely available.
Concerns about the virus on campuses mounted after a Stanly County teacher died after contracting COVID-19.
Nearby North Stanly High School announced Wednesday it will move to online learning after multiple staff members tested positive for the virus, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Hundreds of construction projects pushed back
Increasing costs and revenue declines during the coronavirus pandemic have pushed back hundreds of road and highway projects in North Carolina.
Though the Triangle is home to dozens of the delayed projects, construction on one will start sooner than expected. The N.C. Department of Transportation plans to start the final piece of Interstate 540 in 2026, rather than 2029, The News & Observer reported Thursday.
During the coronavirus pandemic, people staying at home sent gas tax revenue down from April to June. Also, the Division of Motor Vehicles took in less revenue while offices were closed.
Coronavirus postpones App State game amid campus cases
With coronavirus cases spiking at Appalachian State University, some faculty and students want the school to transition to virtual-only classes.
The push comes after Chad Dorill, a 19-year-old App State student, recently contracted the virus and died.
But others have said sending people home from the campus could create a bigger problem, with the potential for students to bring the virus to their hometowns, The News & Observer reported Thursday.
Coronavirus outbreaks earlier this semester forced UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University to close their dorms and move classes online.
“App State reports 225 active cases among students and faculty and 14 active clusters in residence halls, at fraternity and sorority houses and within athletics teams,” the N&O reported. “Seven of those clusters were announced last week.”
The figures come as App State on Wednesday announced it is postponing its next football game due to COVID-19.
The game against Georgia Southern University, originally scheduled for Oct. 14, is now set for Dec. 12.
The Mountaineers last week announced their game against Louisiana-Lafayette was pushed back due to positive COVID-19 “tests and contact tracing,” The Charlotte Observer reported.
“All active COVID-19 cases are recovering in isolation, according to the school’s news release, and close contacts who have been identified through contact tracing are required to quarantine,” the Observer reported.
Some teachers complain of having to work on campus
Some Wake County teachers have complained about needing to work at school buildings while their high school students will take classes at home.
The school district is requiring educators to get back to campuses by Oct. 19, though high schoolers will have virtual-only instruction through at least January, The News & Observer reported Thursday.
The move comes as elementary and middle school students will start having face-to-face instruction later this month.
“This provides time for all schools to practice health and safety protocols, complete all the tasks needed to prepare for students’ return,” Superintendent Cathy Moore this week.
Wake County schools has been allowing teachers to work remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic, and some high school educators say their early return isn’t necessary, the N&O reported.
“Why are we putting lives at risk when there’s no gain in bringing us back?” said Bryan Elsaesser, who teaches social studies at Raleigh’s Broughton High School.
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 7:31 AM.
