Charlotte protests could spark new COVID-19 outbreaks, county health director says

Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said Tuesday that a surge in COVID-19 cases stemming from days of demonstrations in Charlotte would be reflected in the county’s data within two weeks, based on the incubation period of the coronavirus.

Mecklenburg’s case total could also be exacerbated amid Phase Two of the governor’s plan to gradually reopen businesses, Harris told county commissioners Tuesday evening.

Hospitalizations and the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 have followed upward trajectories in recent weeks, while social distancing drops, Harris said. In the past week, an average of 9.4% of people tested by Atrium Health and Novant Health were infected, which Harris described as a “fairly significant” increase.

“I think we should be cautious about this,” Harris said. “The reality is that we’ve got COVID in our community. ... The question is whether we can manage that level of infection in our community.”

There were 4,354 coronavirus cases and 97 deaths among county residents as of Tuesday evening, officials said. More than one-third of all cases are among Hispanic residents, yet Harris said recent increases are not linked to a specific population.

New infections have been seen throughout the community, Harris emphasized.

Clamping down on reopening?

County Commissioner Mark Jerrell asked Harris whether the latest coronavirus data signaled that Mecklenburg needed to clamp down on reopening, perhaps following a more stringent approach than the rest of the state.

Harris said it is too early to evaluate the COVID-19 trends from Phase Two, which began on May 22.

Local leaders are having weekly conversations with Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, to gauge Mecklenburg’s COVID-19 outbreak, Harris said.

“We’re not at a point where any of us have talked about making any significant changes,” Harris said.

The health director assured commissioners that local hospital systems were “still in good shape” to handle the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals have not needed to use their surge capacity, though availability of beds is being watched “very carefully,” Harris said.

Several county commissioners probed Harris on Tuesday about the possibility of imposing a mask mandate. They emphasized there’s a heightened need for face coverings as thousands of people gather at protests locally in response to the death of George Floyd last week by Minneapolis police.

“While I support people’s right to protest, what I don’t want is their rage to cost them their lives,” said George Dunlap, chairman of the Mecklenburg County commissioners.

But for now, Mecklenburg will stay aligned with the governor’s recommendations — which strongly encourage, but do not require, masks or cloth face coverings, Harris said.

County Manager Dena Diorio said enforcing a mask mandate would be a “major challenge.”

“It’s all about encouraging people to do what they need to do,” Diorio said.