Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Oct. 27
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases surpass 263,000
At least 263,883 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 4,211 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported 2,141 new COVID-19 cases, up from 1,643 the day before. Those totals are lower than the record high of 2,716 on Friday.
About 7.3% of tests were reported positive as of Sunday, the latest day for which data were available. That’s higher than the 5% target set by health officials.
At least 1,214 people in North Carolina were reportedly hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday — the second-highest total since the start of the pandemic and the highest since late July.
Advocates push jails for more COVID-19 protections
The NC Watchdog Reporting Network has identified shortcomings across the state’s county jails, where officials have struggled to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
At least 12 of North Carolina’s 100 counties have ongoing outbreaks, where more than 270 coronavirus cases have been reported.
Some of the issues include jails not requiring inmates and staff members to wear masks, failing to quarantine new detainees upon their arrival and packing large numbers of people into small spaces.
“The jails are doing the bare minimum,” said Kristie Puckett-Williams, an ACLU of North Carolina official who leads a campaign for judicial reform. “They’re not really doing anything to address the threat of communicable disease.”
County jails aren’t required to test all inmates like state prisons do. Of the 11 contacted by the NC Watchdog Reporting Network, most said they weren’t performing mass testing.
“If they did mass testing, they’d find a lot more people with COVID-19,” said Charlotte lawyer Tim Emry, who works with a group of advocates trying to make conditions safer inside Mecklenburg County’s jails. “... They’re more concerned about avoiding bad publicity than the health and safety of the residents.”
Wake students ready for first ‘asynchronous learning day’
Roughly 50 elementary schools in Wake County will keep students at home on Wednesday, just two days after students returned to campus for in-person instruction.
Wednesday is the first “asynchronous learning day,” in which students are given work to get done on their own at home.
Asynchronous learning days are factored into the schedule until January to “help teachers who are juggling both in-person and online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic,” The News & Observer reported. It’s also designed to give students and families a break while reducing “screen time,” Superintendent Cathy Moore said at an Oct. 20 school board meeting.
For the remainder of the fall semester, Wake has modified the school district’s calendar so that each week has either a holiday, teacher workday or asynchronous learning day.
Wednesday’s asynchronous learning day is optional, but they will be mandatory starting next week.
Teachers are on board with the schedule shift, but some parents are concerned about how to keep students busy on those days away from the classroom. Drew Cook, assistant superintendent for academics, said students will have work to do.
“We have provided guidance and expectation to our schools that by no means should this be a free day,” Cook said. “This is an instructional day.”
NC university suspends some activities after cases rise
A private North Carolina college is expanding COVID-19 testing after it saw a surge in cases.
Elon University is also suspending some sports as well as fraternity and sorority events, The News & Observer reported. In-person social gatherings are limited to five people.
The measures come as more than 150 coronavirus cases have been reported at the school since Friday. As of Tuesday, the number of isolated or quarantined students reached 466, the highest level this semester.
“The recent increase in cases serves as a powerful reminder of how critical it is for all members of the campus community to use face coverings and practice physical distancing,” spokesperson Owen Covington said.
5 deaths now linked to NC church’s events
Two additional coronavirus-related deaths have been tied to activities at a North Carolina church, health officials say.
Now, at least five deaths and 143 coronavirus cases are linked to United House of Prayer for All People in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County Public Health said Monday.
While most of the COVID-19 patients live in Mecklenburg County, others were residents of neighboring Cabarrus, Gaston and Iredell counties. Health officials attempted to reach 192 “close contacts” of people whose infections were linked to the church, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The church on Saturday was ordered to close its buildings due to the county’s “grave concerns” about the outbreak.
Parents get help to pay for childcare
Some parents in Wake County will get help to pay for childcare during the coronavirus pandemic under a new program announced Monday.
Those parents who meet the required income guidelines will be reimbursed “for care that helps their children participate in remote learning,” The News & Observer reported.
“COVID-19 has already stretched household budgets thin, and we don’t want parents to have to choose between earning a living and giving their children the care they need,” said Greg Ford, chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, in a news release.
The program, called WakeSUPPORTS, is funded by $5 million in federal COVID-19 relief money and will cover costs associated with their child’s remote learning from Aug. 17 to Sept. 30 as well as during the month of December.
To qualify, parents must:
- Live in Wake County
- Have a child in kindergarten through sixth grade
- Meet certain income restrictions, which differ by family size (i.e. a family of two can’t earn more than $45,180; a family of four can’t earn more than $56,460)
Private schools see more clusters than public schools
Private schools in North Carolina have more coronavirus clusters than public schools, The News & Observer reports.
There were 138 COVID-19 cases and 14 clusters reported at private K-12 schools throughout the state as of Friday, according to data from the state health department. K-12 public schools had 79 cases and 11 clusters.
North Carolina has more than 2,500 public schools and about 750 private schools. Most public schools started the fall semester online, while many public schools returned to in-person classes full time.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School officials on Monday said there weren’t any known widespread outbreaks of COVID-19 on campuses, despite the virus’ spread in the area.
Some of the district’s students returned to in-person learning last month, though most have been in remote-only instruction. Kathy Elling, chief school performance officer, said the district believes it is “poised” to continue its reopening plan, which would bring K-5 students back to classrooms next week.
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 6:50 AM.
