Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 26

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We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.

Deaths top 300

North Carolina has at least 8,985 reported cases of the coronavirus as of Sunday afternoon, and 321 people have died, according to data collected by The News & Observer from state and county health departments.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 288 new cases Sunday morning after reporting 490 the day before, the state’s largest single-day increase.

The state originally reported 571 new cases on Saturday, but a reporting error inflated the number, officials said Sunday. Every test received form Vidant Health on Saturday was incorrectly counted as a positive test.

The total number of cases reported by the state health department is now 8,830. But that number is usually only updated once a day, which is why it differs from The N&O’s count.

The increase comes as the state is reporting a greater number of completed tests in recent days.

At least 451 North Carolinians were hospitalized with the virus as of Sunday, down slightly from 456 the day before, according to the state.

Mecklenburg County has the highest numbers in the state, with 1,482 reported cases and 41 deaths.

Wake County had 663 cases and 13 deaths, and Durham County has 546 cases and 11 deaths.

Residents leave home more

In recent days, North Carolinians have left their homes more, and traveled farther than in previous weeks, according to a study from the University of Maryland.

The state scored a 45 out of 100 on the study’s social distancing index between April 17 and 23. A score of 100 would be all residents are staying home, while a score of 0 would be none are.

The state’s number do indicate significantly more social distancing than pre-coronavirus times.

Cases by ZIP code

Durham County is joining several other North Carolina counties that tell the public how many people in each ZIP code have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Mecklenburg and Union are among the other counties that release that data, while the state and many counties, like Wake and Orange counties, do not.

In Durham County, the 27705 ZIP code had the most positive tests as of late Friday. It’s a western-central section of the county and includes two of the county’s three nursing home outbreaks, including the Durham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 411 South LaSalle St., which had 111 reported cases as of Saturday evening. The next-highest number of cases was in the 27704 ZIP code.

When will state parks reopen?

Gov. Roy Cooper last week extended his stay-at-home order through May 8 and announced plans for a reopening in phases.

The first phase could start May 9 if the state meets benchmarks such as decreases in the number of positive tests for COVID-19.

In that phase, North Carolina state parks could reopen. Most of the state’s 38 parks and recreation areas are currently closed. Some remote and less-visited parks are still open, but bathrooms, campgrounds and visitors centers are closed, according to parks officials.

At Umstead State Park in Raleigh, staff are “taking advantage of the quiet to work on projects, such as rerouting a section of Company Mill Trail, building a monarch butterfly garden at the visitors center and repairing some of Umstead’s historic buildings,” The News & Observer reported.

Drive-up church services

Mecklenburg County loosened its restrictions on religious services Friday, allowing churches to host drive-up or drive-through services starting this weekend.

Communion, however, is still barred, the Charlotte Observer reported.

“We have gotten a tremendous amount of cooperation from our faith leaders around not holding drive-up church services but we feel now that the data and the flattening the curve allows us to allow (that),” Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said.

This story was originally published April 26, 2020 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 26."