White House report calls NC and Charlotte ‘locations to watch’ in rising COVID cases
The greater Charlotte region — along with the state of North Carolina — was named as a “location to watch” in a May 7 White House coronavirus task force report obtained by NBC News.
But Mecklenburg County alone was listed as a “stable location” in terms of COVID-19 cases, according to the report.
News of the report comes as North Carolina begins loosening coronavirus restrictions under phase one of N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper’s reopening plan.
Mecklenburg County released a report Tuesday that showed a decrease in social distancing in the county, The Observer reported. But social distancing is still “significantly higher” than before the stay-at-home order was issued, officials said.
In a portion of the White House report shared with The Observer, the Charlotte Core-Based Statistical Area — which includes Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan and Union counties in North Carolina and Chester, Lancaster and York counties, in South Carolina — was listed as the top location to watch, meaning it had the largest week-to-week increase in the category.
The report defined “locations to watch” as places with more than a 10% week-to-week increase in cases, 200 or more new cases and between 30 and 100 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the previous week.
North Carolina was also listed on the report of states to watch. The state reported 301 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday morning, for a total of 15,346 statewide.
Mecklenburg County has seen 2,158 coronavirus cases since March, health officials said Tuesday. Roughly two-thirds of coronavirus patients in the county have recovered, health officials say.
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