As NC coronavirus cases top 3,800, governor issues new rules for stores, nursing homes
North Carolina reported a dozen new deaths from coronavirus Thursday, as the state’s total pushed past 3,800 cases and Gov. Roy Cooper announced new orders to control social distancing in retail centers.
The new executive order, announced in a Thursday afternoon news conference, mandates that stores may not have a number of people inside at one time that is more than 20% of the store’s state fire capacity (or either 5 people for every 1,000 square feet). Stores must mark six feet of distance at places people need to gather, such as at checkout lines.
The order also requires frequent cleaning and disinfection of stores. Cooper also said stores should make hand sanitizer accessible, use shields at checkouts and mark aisles as one way to limit traffic.
The new retail rules go into effect at 5 p.m. Monday, April 13.
Cooper also put in place a mandatory protective order for nursing homes, which prevents gathering in common spaces and group activities. It also requires employees to wear face masks and facilities to screen for signs of sickness in employees and residents.
In a third order, additional measures will be put in place to get more unemployment claims processed faster. Since March 16, the state has received 497,000 unemployment claims and processed $40.3 million to North Carolina residents.
Cooper’s latest curve-flattening measures come as Wake County announced its first outbreak at a long-term care facility — at Wellington Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Knightdale. The cases include two patients and two nurses, the county said. The patients are at WakeMed Hospital, the release said.
Orange County announced its second outbreak at a long-term care facility. The first outbreak, announced Wednesday, involved at least 60 patients at PruittHealth-Carolina Point. The latest report involves Signature HealthCARE in Chapel Hill, which has three positive patients, all receiving care at UNC Hospitals. More tests are pending at both facilities, officials said.
Also, Johnston County reported 11 COVID-19 cases at Springbrook Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Clayton, which has seen two deaths so far.
In Pinehurst, at least 50 people at Pinehurst Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday.
And as of Thursday evening, nearly half the residents at the Louisburg Nursing Center in Franklin County have tested positive for the virus. In addition to the 30 residents, three staff members have also tested positive.
NC DHHS lists 3,651 confirmed cases of COVID-19, up 225 from Wednesday’s total. Of those who are infected, 398 are hospitalized. Coronavirus has now struck 92 of the state’s 100 counties.
The News & Observer is keeping a separate tally based on reports from the state and county health departments, which is typically higher because cases take longer for the state to confirm. That count is now 3,823 with 75 deaths.
Craven County reported its first death on Thursday, but no details about the patient were provided. Stanly County Health Department also reported its first death. The patient was in their 60s, had underlying conditions and had traveled to an area of high risk.
NC lawmakers promise to extend vehicle inspections
North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore released a statement Thursday saying that when the General Assembly convenes later this month they support legislation that would retroactively extend vehicle inspection deadlines.
“Until such legislation passes, we support bureaucratic flexibility on compliance with the existing deadlines,” Berger and Moore wrote. “Based on our communications with the Executive Branch, we understand that the Department of Public Safety and State Highway Patrol are doing just that by not prioritizing enforcement.”
Lawmakers are also being asked to temporarily suspend requirements on student testing, school grading and teacher licensure renewal.
The State Board of Education approved Thursday a lengthy list of waivers from state law that it says are needed because schools can’t function the way they normally would due to the pandemic. Board members said the waivers don’t mean they are setting a lower bar for the state’s 1.5 million public school students.
“The waiver requests we’re about to discuss do not reflect any change in the board’s support of high academic standards, effective assessments to inform instruction or an accountability system that continuously drives improved academic achievement for our students,” said state board chairman Eric Davis. “Consideration of these requests are necessitated by the unique events of COVID-19.”
Prison sentences reduced in Durham County
Nine men convicted of drug trafficking and other charges will leave prison weeks, months and years early after the Durham County district attorney and a judge agreed to reduce their sentences because of coronavirus concerns.
And more may be coming as District Attorney Satana Deberry said she is open to reviewing similar motions.
The move comes as public health experts, criminal justice advocates and families of inmates are asking local and state officials to reduce the prison population by releasing those vulnerable to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
In appropriate cases, Deberry said, she will consent to sentencing modifications, which still have to be signed off on by a judge, as Durham County Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson did Wednesday.
A coronavirus outbreak at Neuse Correctional Institution in Eastern North Carolina has contributed to a doubling of confirmed cases in North Carolina’s prisons. As of Wednesday, 15 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 statewide. Ten were at Neuse Correctional Institution.
How will the state handle November elections?
The State Board of Elections asked the General Assembly to ease up voting limitations in North Carolina, part of what BOE executive director Karen Brinson Bell describes as planning for a pandemic-infested election.
One of Bell’s first considerations for November is possibly doing all mail-in ballots. But to do that demands drop boxes, mail sorters, workers to open the mail, expensive high-speed scanner equipment, warehouses and a legislative change — not to mention a large behavioral change from voters.
If the state continues with in-person voting, Bell said she is already seeing requests from local precincts to move to other sites. She’s looking at ways to decontaminate voting sites or even find former retail spaces like grocery stores where people can walk inside with a motion sensor instead of touching doors. But no matter what she decides to do, it will cost the board a lot of money.
Staff writers Virginia Bridges, Richard Stradling, T. Keung Hui and Danielle Battaglia contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 11:21 AM.
