Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on June 9
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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.
Cases top 37,000
At least 37,226 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,068 have died, according to state and county health departments.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported an additional 676 cases of the virus, down from 938 the day before. The state was averaging about 1,000 daily cases over the last seven days as of Tuesday.
State health officials on Tuesday reported completing 15,598 new COVID-19 tests for a total of more than 535,700. About 8% of Monday’s tests came back positive.
Hospitalizations reach record high, again
At least 774 North Carolina patients were in the hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest-ever daily total since the start of the pandemic, state officials say.
Tuesday’s count broke the previous record of 739 hospitalizations, which was set the day before.
Speedway ordered to close
Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday ordered the closure of a racetrack where thousands have gathered without social distancing or face masks, calling the facility an “imminent hazard.”
The governor said during a Monday news conference the state would take action against Ace Speedway if Alamance County didn’t enforce statewide orders that limit outdoor gatherings to 25 people.
The county’s sheriff had said he would enforce the order despite disagreeing with it.
But on Saturday, the speedway posted a sign saying the race was a “protest” and hosted at least 2,000 people in its stands, The News & Observer reported.
Cooper called the move “reckless.”
“Alamance County is one of the counties that is having higher numbers than it should have, and we look forward to taking some action on this in the coming week,” he said Monday. “It’s concerning that Alamance officials have not been able to stop this.”
Guidance on reopening schools
Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday said the state has finalized guidelines to reopen public schools.
The guidelines include options for remote and in-person instruction and the ability to move between the two depending on the status of the coronavirus pandemic, Cooper said during a Monday news conference.
They also include requirements or recommendations on social distancing and minimizing exposure to the virus, face coverings and protection for those at a higher risk, symptom monitoring, the handling of suspected or positive cases, communication, water and ventilation systems, and “transportation, coping and resilience.”
Schools would have to increase cleanings, everyone entering school buildings and school buses would get their temperature taken.
Public schools closed their buildings and moved to remote instruction in March in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The governor says the guidance on reopening schools is based on key benchmarks related to the spread of the virus that state health officials are monitoring. Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. DHHS, expressed concern Monday that the state was moving in the wrong direction in terms of those benchmarks.
Prisons must create plan to test all inmates
North Carolina prisons started moving inmates from county jails on Monday for the first time since early April.
Experts say doing so will increase the chances of further COVID-19 spread in prisons, and documents obtained by reporters across the state show inmates with symptoms have been transferred to facilities since the start of the outbreak, The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday.
A North Carolina judge ruled Monday that state prisons must create a plan to test every inmate for the coronavirus and limit the number of inmate transfers from prison to prison.
Wake County Superior Court Judge Vinston Rozier issued the ruling in response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of North Carolina, the NAACP and other civil rights groups, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The state has tested fewer than 6% of prison inmates so far, a far lower percentage than some other states.
High school sports allowed to resume
The N.C. High School Athletic Association announced Monday the end of its dead period, which has stopped high school sports in the state since March.
Teams will be allowed to resume activities as soon as June 15 if allowed by local school districts.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Wake County Schools will not allow teams to start summer practices until at least July 6.
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 7:11 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on June 9."
