Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Oct. 21
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Hospitalizations climb
At least 250,592 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 4,032 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 1,842 new COVID-19 cases, up from 1,578 the day before.
Forty coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday.
About 7.4% of tests were reported positive on Monday, the latest day for which data is available. That’s higher than the 5% target set by health officials.
At least 1,219 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday — the second-highest number of hospitalizations during the pandemic. The state reached a record on July 28, when 1,236 coronavirus patients were reportedly hospitalized.
Cooper extends Phase 3
Gov. Roy Cooper has extended Phase 3 of North Carolina’s reopening plan until Nov. 13 as case counts and hospitalizations rise, The News & Observer reported.
Phase 3, which started Oct. 2 and allowed bars, entertainment venues, movie theaters and large outdoor venues to reopen with capacity restrictions, was set to expire Friday.
North Carolina’s death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 4,000 on Wednesday, and the state’s seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases is 2,000 — a level state officials have said is too high, according to The N&O.
Elected officials in 36 counties have now been asked “to consider actions to ‘improve compliance’ with executive orders,” such as imposing fines for violations of the governor’s coronavirus executive orders and letting local health directors issue imminent hazard abatement orders.
NC workers demand paid sick time
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act guaranteed workers two weeks of paid sick leave to recover from the coronavirus or quarantine, but many in North Carolina say that hasn’t happened.
Ieisha Franceis, who works at Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in west Durham, told The News & Observer she’s had to quarantine twice in three months after employees were potentially exposed to the virus. Freddy’s is a chain that employs more than 500 people nationally, and most of its individual franchises employ less than 50 — meaning they’re exempt from the mandatory sick leave requirement.
Between 2 million and 3 million workers — or up to 84% of the workforce — in North Carolina fall into that exemption category, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress. That figure balloons to 106 million nationwide, The N&O reported.
“Coronavirus is a scary thing to potentially catch and if you’re not working for two weeks, how are you going to live and survive?” said Jamila Allen, another worker at Freddy’s.
Charlotte airport debuts new features as traffic starts to rebound
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is making changes as passengers return to the transportation hub.
The airport has reported increasing traffic after taking a dip in March and April. At that time, the coronavirus started its spread across North Carolina and prompted business shutdowns.
The airport reported 1.2 million passengers in September, the most recent month with available data. Though the total was down from more than 2 million travelers at the same time last year, it was the highest total reported since February.
As traffic rebounds, a new feature passengers to check security wait times on the airport’s website and app, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.
Also at the airport, there are five new electric buses and plans to have more nonstop plane routes later this year.
American Airlines is resuming flights to London Heathrow and also serving Appleton, Wisconsin; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Other destinations include Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana; Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming and Montrose Regional Airport in Colorado.
Southwest Airlines will also add routes to Denver and Phoenix.
68 cases, 2 deaths now linked to NC church service
More coronavirus cases and at least two deaths have been tied to a church event in Charlotte, bringing the total number of infections to 68.
The cases are linked to United House of Prayer for All People on Beatties Ford Road, according to Mecklenburg County health officials. The congregation held several events this month, including a “convocation” on Oct. 10-11.
Deputy Health Director Raynard Washington in a statement said event planners made “significant efforts to ensure mask wearing and social distancing among the hundreds of attendees.”
The church didn’t return messages from The Charlotte Observer.
“We really want to make sure our community is aware that there were certainly individuals who were infectious at those events,” Washington said. “We want folks to do the right thing and get tested and quarantine, isolate and follow our instructions.”
Health officials have asked event attendees to monitor for coronavirus symptoms and said the church hasn’t “been interested” in offering testing at the site.
County health officials, however, are hosting a no-cost, drive-thru testing event at a health department site from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday at 2845 Beatties Ford Road near the church.
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, plans for spring semester
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.
People coming to K-12 public schools 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. 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.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 7:01 AM.
