Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Oct. 28
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 266,000
At least 266,136 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 4,245 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 2,253 new COVID-19 cases, up from 2,141 the day before. Those totals are lower than the record high of 2,716 on Friday.
Thirty-four deaths were reported Wednesday.
About 6.9% of tests were reported positive on Monday, the latest day for which data were available. That’s higher than the 5% target set by health officials.
At least 1,193 people in North Carolina were reportedly hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, down from 1,214 the day before. Tuesday’s preliminary total — now listed as 1,211 — was the second-highest since the start of the pandemic and the highest since late July.
Residents will be protected from pandemic-related evictions
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that residents who can’t afford their rent because of the coronavirus pandemic won’t be evicted if they give their landlords a sworn statement.
The new executive order enforces the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s nationwide eviction moratorium and is in effect through the end of the year, The News & Observer reported. The order also requires landlords to provide their tenants with a sworn statement they can fill out for the court “if they take an action to evict.”
Other evictions for reasons outside of tenants not paying rent will still be allowed.
During the press conference announcing his decision, Cooper also said North Carolinians should avoid big gatherings during the holiday season and offered recommendations for how to safely celebrate Halloween.
Coach K calls for nationwide COVID-19 safety protocols
Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said universal health and safety protocols for college sports teams across the U.S. would help calm the chaos that has befallen teams trying to schedule their season.
The Blue Devils are gearing up for a 27-game schedule after their first game scheduled for Nov. 10 at Michigan State was scrapped.
“Hopefully by the time we do play,” Krzyzewski said during a news conference Wednesday, “there will be national protocols, medically, so that everyone who is playing against one another will be under the same medical protocols, which I think are essential to the safety of these kids.”
Each conference is currently setting its own guidelines for schools to follow, The News & Observer reported.
Officials concerned over coronavirus clusters at NC churches
Religious activities, including worship services, bible studies and youth group meetings, are the third leading source of COVID-19 cluster infections in North Carolina, The News & Observer reported.
At least 1,180 coronavirus cases in the state are linked to 88 clusters at religious events, and at least 18 people have died.
Meat and poultry processing plants are responsible for the most cases attributable to a cluster, followed by colleges and universities, according to Department of Health and Human Services data.
The state defines a cluster as five or more cases with positive test results or illness onset within a 14-day period.
The recent spread comes as more churches opt to return to in-person services. A federal judge in May said churches should be allowed to gather after several churches sued the governor.
“The court trusts worshipers and their leaders to look after one another and society while exercising their free exercise rights just as they and their fellow citizens (whether religious or not) do when engaged in non-religious activities,” Judge James C. Dever III wrote in his order.
One of the largest clusters traced to a religious gathering is at United House of Prayer for All People in Mecklenburg County, which has been the source of 121 COVID-19 cases and at least three deaths. The church held convocation events from Oct. 4-11 that attracted up to 1,000 people.
Carowinds to reopen for holiday season
An amusement park in the Charlotte area is reopening after months of being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Carowinds plans to welcome visitors Nov. 21 to Dec. 20 for Taste of the Season: An Outdoor Holiday Experience, according to the park.
Anyone interested in attending the outdoor event must wear a face covering, fill out an online health survey and make a reservation. The registration period starts Nov. 9 for season pass holders and Nov. 11 for other visitors.
COVID-19 forced Carowinds to shut down in March, and “continued uncertainty” about the disease has kept the park closed, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.
Tool gives insight into potential vaccine distribution
A new tool estimates how many doses of a COVID-19 vaccine could be available in North Carolina.
While an exact timeline and plans are unknown, Harvard University researchers have rolled out the Vaccine Allocation Planner for COVID-19, McClatchy News reported Wednesday.
Based on population size, the tool predicts that of 10 million vaccine doses produced nationwide, 314,000 would end up in North Carolina. Those would serve fewer residents if people need to take two doses, as scientists expect.
Most vaccines would go to the most populous counties, such as Wake and Mecklenburg, though not all residents would get immunized in the beginning, predictions show.
“That means 9% of first responders, older adults, high-risk health care workers and people with significant underlying conditions across the state would receive a vaccine to start,” McClatchy News reported.
State health officials have shared a four-phased plan that includes the first round of doses going to health care employees, emergency management workers, adults at risk for getting seriously sick and people linked to congregate living settings.
NC restaurant owners win coronavirus-related lawsuit
A pair of North Carolina restaurant owners won an insurance lawsuit that could impact businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.
Giorgios Bakatsias and Matt Kelly, who together run more than a dozen Triangle-area eateries, sued their insurance company this year. The owners argued a business interruption claim should cover losses from the state’s coronavirus-related shutdowns.
Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson sided with them this month, making the restaurant owners the first to win this type of lawsuit during COVID-19, according to the University of Pennsylvania.
The insurance provider, Cincinnati Insurance Company, said it will appeal, The News & Observer reported Wednesday.
“We continue to believe that business interruption coverage under our property policy in this case does not apply because there was no structural alteration to the property,” spokesperson Betsy Ertel said in a statement. “The prevailing view by courts around the country has been that an economic loss alone doesn’t qualify as direct physical damage or loss to property, which is the trigger for business interruption coverage.”
Wake high schools report COVID-19 cases
Coronavirus cases have been reported at three Triangle-area high schools.
“Fuquay-Varina High School, Heritage High School in Wake Forest, and Panther Creek High School in Cary” each had one COVID-19 case, The News & Observer reported Tuesday.
The infections are tied to the athletic programs, though the schools didn’t reveal whether the cases were among students. The campuses say they are working with Wake County health officials and that those who may have come into contact with the infected people will be notified.
The announcement comes as 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 do 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.
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.
Jails in at least 12 of North Carolina’s 100 counties have ongoing outbreaks, reporting a total of more than 270 coronavirus cases.
Some jails do not require inmates and staff members to wear masks, fail to quarantine new detainees upon their arrival and pack 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. Of the 11 contacted by the NC Watchdog Reporting Network, most said they weren’t performing mass testing.
NC university suspends some activities after cases rise
Elon University is expanding COVID-19 testing after it saw a surge in cases.
Elon, a private university in Alamance County, 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.
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 6:50 AM.
