Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on March 19
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We’re keeping track of the latest news about coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
More reported cases
North Carolina had at least 134 reported coronavirus cases as of Thursday afternoon.
The number of cases in Durham County rose to 35, after three additional cases were reported in the county Thursday night. Wake County has 25 cases.
Three additional cases were reported in Wake County on Thursday evening, The News & Observer reports.
Mecklenburg County has 32 cases, and Davidson and Pitt counties reported their first cases Thursday. There was also a new case reported in Wilson County.
Harnett County reported its fifth and sixth cases Thursday night.
Forysth County also reported two additional cases Thursday and Union and Moore counties reported their second cases. Guilford reported its third case.
Cumberland County reported two positive case of the virus Thursday afternoon.
Cases have been reported in 25 counties in North Carolina as of Thursday evening.
Community spread
Someone contracted coronavirus through community spread in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday.
Until now, all North Carolina coronavirus patients had been exposed to someone who had tested positive for the virus or were connected to someone who “traveled from elsewhere,” The News & Observer reported.
Community spread is when people are infected without knowing how or where they were exposed, the CDC says.
The patient who contracted the virus through community spread is in Wilson County. Health officials said there are also more than two cases of community spread in Mecklenburg County.
Cooper also said Thursday schools will be closed for a while as the coronavirus crisis continues.
Raleigh concert
A Wake County resident who was at The Millennium Tour 2020 concert at PNC Arena on March 13 has tested positive for coronavirus, health officials said Thursday afternoon.
They were there between 8:20 p.m. and midnight, and anyone who “went to the show or spent time on the floor” may have been exposed, The News & Observer reports.
Anyone who attended the show or worked at the arena that night can call the information line at 919-857-9375.
Mecklenburg Hotel
Mecklenburg County is leasing a 123-room hotel for people who are homeless and showing coronavirus symptoms, The Charlotte Observer reports.
The county is working with the hotel to lease it for 60 days. Officials have not released the location due to privacy concerns.
Unemployment
Nearly 18,000 in North Carolina have filed for unemployment since Cooper announced Tuesday he would order all bars and restaurants to close later that day.
That’s thousands more than the number of people who filed during February, The News & Observer reports.
Official downplays shelter in place possibility
Mecklenburg County on Thursday said it has no current plans to order people to shelter in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new comment came after Public Health Director Gibbie Harris on Tuesday said the county could be moving toward that type of measure “more quickly than we like,” The Charlotte Observer reported.
On Thursday,Cooper said he’s “not ready” to order people to shelter in place in North Carolina.
Stores introduce special hours
Retailers with North Carolina stores said they are reserving times for older adults to shop, The News & Observer reported Thursday.
Target, Walmart, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods and Dollar General all announced plans amid the spread of coronavirus, which can pose a risk to older people.
Lawmaker warned of coronavirus spread
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr warned a group to reconsider travel to Europe during a meeting last month, NPR reported Thursday. The North Carolina Republican also told people the coronavirus was “akin to the 1918 pandemic.”
Spanish flu killed more than 50 million people from 1918 to 1919.
Congressman to self-quarantine
U.S. Rep. David Price on Thursday announced he is going into self-quarantine after possible exposure to coronavirus.
Price, 79, is a Chapel Hill Democrat.
Help for small businesses
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper said the U.S. Small Business Administration accepted his request for a disaster declaration as some of the state’s small businesses experience economic hardship due to the spread of coronavirus.
The declaration allows the businesses to apply for low-interest loans from the administration, the governor’s office said Thursday.
Hospitals prepare
A Harvard University analysis found North Carolina doesn’t have enough hospital beds to care for coronavirus patients.
Wake County would need to double the number of beds it has in six months to care for those who get sick, according to the study.
But hospital systems are preparing for an “influx” of patients and looking for ways to expand spaces to care for those who become ill.
Across the state, some hospitals are setting up tents to keep coronavirus patients separated from other patients and staff.
Several hospitals in the UNC Health system are working to erect triage tents, and Novant Health has set up tents outside emergency rooms at its hospitals in Charlotte, Salisbury and Winston-Salem.
Rex Hospital in Raleigh is creating a special intensive care unit to treat COVID-19 patients.
Amazon is hiring
Amazon says it plans to hire thousands of workers in North Carolina.
Many people in North Carolina are preparing to file for unemployment benefits as businesses across the state cut workers’ hours or issue layoffs.
But Amazon plans to create 2,000 new jobs in the state, more than 540 of which will be in the Triangle area.
The company is hiring 100,000 people across the country to help keep up with increased demand as people are ordering more items online amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus testing
As of Wednesday night, 1,850 had been tested for coronavirus in North Carolina, and state health officials had processed 430 of those tests.
Some counties in the state still have a shortage of testing supplies.
Local health agencies say the state Department of Health and Human Services has given three test kits to each county in the state, with additional tests given after those were used.
DHHS said Wednesday it would no longer limit the number of new kits.
Do you have questions about the coronavirus? The News & Observer will get the answers for you. Go to bit.ly/virusnc and let us know what you need to know.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 6:29 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on March 19."
