Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Oct. 20
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Hospitalizations climb
At least 248,750 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 3,992 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported 1,578 new COVID-19 cases, up from 1,144 the day before.
Fifty-three coronavirus-related deaths were reported Tuesday.
About 7.4% of tests were reported positive on Sunday, the latest day for which data is available. That’s higher than the 5% target set by health officials.
At least 1,203 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday — the second-highest number of hospitalizations since March. July 28 was the peak for reported COVID-19 hospitalizations, at 1,236 people.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, DHHS secretary, has called hospitalizations a “lagging indicator,” because people receiving in-patient treatment were infected days or weeks before they were admitted.
Phase 3 of reopening is set to expire on Oct. 23, but Gov. Roy Cooper has not said whether he plans to extend the phase or if he will tighten rules to restrict the spread of the virus.
Two clusters at Mecklenburg childcare facilities
State health officials reported two new coronavirus clusters at childcare facilities in Charlotte on Tuesday.
Oakcrest Preparatory Academy and Calvary Child Development Center have each reported five COVID-19 cases, The Charlotte Observer reported.
While key metrics in Mecklenburg County were seen as stabilizing in early October, health officials now say hospitalizations, the average number of new cases and the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests have increased over the last two weeks.
Wake County opens virtual registration, preps for in-person learning
Wake County schools will soon open registration for the spring semester of its Virtual Academy, an option for families uncomfortable with on-campus classes during the pandemic.
Sign-ups are Oct. 21-28 for students in middle and high school and Dec. 2-9 for elementary school students.
The state’s largest school district also announced a ban on singing and playing brass and woodwind instruments, citing “recent aerosol studies,” The News & Observer reported Tuesday.
Wake County schools will reopen next week for the first time since March with mandatory temperature checks for the hundreds of staff and students coming on campuses.
School board members say it’s going to require patience.
People coming to K-12 public school campuses will have to pass a series of health questions and have a body temperature below 100.4 degrees, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services requirements.
That means parents driving their students to school will have to wait in the carpool lane until the child passes the temperature checkpoint. Students who ride the bus and have a fever will have to wait in an isolated room until their parents pick them up, The News & Observer reported.
Masks will be required on campus, physical contact is barred, and students will be encouraged to stay at their desks instead of moving around.
Wake County School Board is also working on a plan to bring more students back for in-person instruction in the spring.
Under the proposal, elementary and K-12 students in regional special-ed programs would attend daily in-person classes while middle and high school students would split learning between in-person instruction and online classes, The News & Observer reported.
The board could vote on the spring semester plan Nov. 10.
NC county spends $3.1 million on COVID-19 hazard pay
Durham County has given coronavirus-related hazard pay to almost all county employees who worked during the pandemic.
The costs have amounted to more than $3.1 million, and now commissioners are concerned the county won’t get federal reimbursements for what was spent, The News & Observer reported Tuesday.
In March, County Manager Wendell Davis approved a 10 percent increase in pay for workers on days when they couldn’t do remote work.
“Because of the fact that Durham County government employees are essential employees during emergency situations, all employees are, in fact, considered an arm of our emergency operations center,” Davis said.
While the county finance department thinks the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse 75% of costs, most commissioners wonder if the feds will see some of the workers as essential.
Durham County anticipates the state will cover the remaining reimbursements, The N&O reported.
States make rules for NC visitors as cases increase
As coronavirus cases jump, some states are enacting rules for traveling to and from North Carolina.
Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Washington, D.C., have identified North Carolina as a state with high coronavirus risks. The locations all have quarantine requirements.
Connecticut, New Jersey and New York have mandated 14-day quarantine periods for North Carolina visitors since June. Rhode Island and Vermont have quarantine requirements that vary based on COVID-19 test results.
Other states don’t single out North Carolina travelers.
Places with rules for all visitors include Hawaii, Kansas, parts of Idaho, Maine, and New Hampshire, The News & Observer reported Tuesday. Kentucky and Ohio have rules for states with a 15% or higher coronavirus positivity rate, though North Carolina’s has stood at about 6%.
The measures come as North Carolina has among the highest daily COVID-19 case totals in the country, with a seven-day average of roughly 2,000.
Prison escapee who cited COVID-19 fears gets 18 months
A man who said he escaped a federal prison in North Carolina because of the fear of death from the coronavirus was sentenced to an additional 18 months on Tuesday despite defense attorneys asking for leniency.
Richard Cephas, 55, was on the lam for almost three weeks after he fled the Butner correctional facility in April. At the time, he said he was vulnerable because of his weakened immune system.
“I signed up for a jail sentence, not a death sentence,” Cephas told The News & Observer.
His federal public defender, Halerie Costello, told the judge Tuesday her client’s decision to run was driven by fear and that Cephas had no history of trying to escape. She was seeking an additional sentence of 12 months and one day for the escape charge.
But U.S. District Court Judge James C. Dever III on Tuesday said Cephas disrespected the law.
“You decided, essentially, to engage in self-help. Vigilantism,” Dever said. “You deserve just punishment, and just punishment is what you will get.”
ECU announces more furloughs
The coronavirus pandemic sparked another round of temporary furloughs and salary reductions at East Carolina University that will likely affect athletics staff, including coaches, starting Nov. 1.
ECU Athletic Director Jon Gilbert said COVID-19 will likely cause a “sizable deficit,” adding the “uncertainty of the 2020 football season complicates the projections.”
“The manner in which we are operating is not sustainable,” Gilbert said. “We must find different ways to increase revenue and reduce our expenses.”
The furloughs and pay cuts are projected to last through June 30, 2021, The News & Observer reported.
The athletics department previously announced a round of furloughs in May in addition to cutting four sports, including men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s and women’s tennis. But Gilbert said those financial reductions “will not be enough” to overcome ECU’s deficit
Cases possibly tied to church event
Mecklenburg County health officials are investigating more than 23 confirmed COVID-19 cases possibly linked to a Charlotte church’s convocation two weekends ago.
United House of Prayer for All People on Beatties Ford Road first sounded the alarm Saturday, when nine cases were reported. Everyone who attended the events should get tested for the coronavirus, health officials have said.
People can also find a testing site near them in Mecklenburg County at: https://meck.co/3ka8gLE.
Church officials could not be reached for comment by The Charlotte Observer.
Panthers have unconfirmed COVID-19 case
A team spokesperson for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers reported an unconfirmed case of COVID-19 on Monday.
All staff and players are working virtually and the team is operating in intensive protocol “out of an abundance of caution,” The Charlotte Observer reported. Coach Matt Rhule learned about the possible case just before 5 a.m. Monday.
The Panthers played the Chicago Bears at home on Sunday and lost 23-16. Players were tested Monday morning and were off Tuesday, but they were allowed to get treatment.
Early voting at Bank of America Stadium has not been impacted by the possible case.
Private school principal tests positive for the coronavirus
Charlotte Catholic High School Principal Kurt Telford announced in a letter Oct. 15 he tested positive for COVID-19.
Telford traced the case to a member of his family, and he said he plans to self-isolate until Oct. 26, The Charlotte Observer reported. Some members of the administrative staff at Charlotte Catholic are working remotely while they quarantine as a result.
Charlotte Catholic previously reported four positive coronavirus cases, prompting the school to shift to a hybrid of online and in-person learning through Sept. 25. Classes returned to in-person instruction on Sept. 28.
Covenant Day School reported the first COVID-19 cluster at a K-12 school in Mecklenburg County on Sept. 25. The school currently lists three cases among employees and four among students.
A spokesperson for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools told the Observer they knew of 51 positive cases in the district since Aug. 2.
Coronavirus cancels popular NC festival
The Triangle-area N.C. Chinese Lantern Festival is canceled this year due to crowd limitations and concerns about the coronavirus.
The annual event featured a display of illuminated lanterns at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary and more than 121,000 attendees in 2019. This year, some lanterns can be viewed “in downtown Cary through the holidays,” The News & Observer reported Monday.
“We know people look forward to this event, and with all the disappointment in 2020 we’re sad not to be able to bring the full lantern display to Cary,” said Taylor Traversari, general manager of Koka Booth. “With that being said, I want everyone to know we are already looking forward to a bigger and brighter event in 2021.”
The state is in Phase Three of lifting coronavirus-related restrictions, which calls for large outdoor sites to limit capacity to 7%.
“As much as we hate to do it, considering the current restrictions, we knew there was no way we could welcome the overwhelming crowds that attend each year,” Traversari said.
COVID-19 death linked to a state prison man didn’t enter
A man who contracted COVID-19 in a North Carolina jail and died before entering a state prison has sparked concerns about the way the case was reported, The News & Observer reported.
Darrell Wayne Kersey, 59, was in the Durham County jail when he tested positive for the virus in August. He was taken to a hospital and transferred to state custody two days before his death, officials say.
The sheriff’s office didn’t report Kersey’s death to the public, and the case wasn’t tied to the Durham jail in N.C. Department of Health and Human Services documents. His death was instead listed under records of a prison he didn’t reach, The News & Observer reported Monday.
Some county officials “say they should have known about Kersey’s death and want more information about the reporting system,” The N&O reported. “A local heath expert said it’s important for jails to report cases that originate in their facilities.”
Harris to visit NC after people involved in campaign tested positive
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, Democratic nominee for vice president, is set to visit North Carolina after postponing the trip due to positive coronavirus cases among people involved in her campaign.
Harris is set to visit Asheville and Charlotte on Wednesday, the same day Republican President Donald Trump is expected to hold a rally in Gastonia.
Harris appeared at a virtual Charlotte-area event last week after she canceled an in-person visit. She postponed the trip when Liz Allen, communications director for the senator, and a “non-staff flight crew member” tested positive for COVID-19, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The vice presidential nominee on Thursday told supporters she tested negative for the virus.
This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 7:17 AM.
