‘Buckets of beer,’ parties and few masks. Health director warns of post-Labor Day COVID-19 ‘spike’

The local health director warns the Charlotte area will likely see a “spike” in coronavirus cases in coming weeks due to parties and gatherings held over Labor Day weekend.

The bleak outlook— on top of a looming flu season — comes as Mecklenburg County had been seeing improvements in the containment of the virus in late summer. That includes a falling positivity rate, a lower number of COVID-19 patients in local hospitals and a declining number of new lab-confirmed cases.

But Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris says the improved trends are not likely to hold. In a report to elected leaders Wednesday, Harris pointed to the recent easing of coronavirus restrictions on businesses, the expected return of college students in Charlotte and instances of illegal parties held in recent days where few people were social distancing or wearing masks.

Harris singled out a business in Matthews that has hosted outdoor parties with “well over 100 people.” A number of nightclubs opened last weekend too, featuring packed dance floors and scant mask-wearing.

“More and more, we’re seeing people frustrated, wanting to get back to normal, and just saying, ‘Forget it. I’m done with this. I’m just going to go do what I want to do,’” Harris said.

People should get tested for COVID-19 if they’ve attended a large gathering, Harris emphasized.

In the past week, alcohol enforcement officers and police shut down at least four illegal parties advertised on social media, including two on South Boulevard with between 70 and 80 people, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department email shared with the Observer. “Buckets of beer” were passed around at parties, Harris told county commissioners.

Other illegal parties happened at Airbnb rentals.

“All of those things indicate we will see increases in our numbers,” Harris said. “We just need to be prepared for that.”

The health director, along with other local health leaders, issued similar warnings about a rise in cases after Memorial Day and July 4th. Corresponding increases in the area’s COVID-19 caseload and the number of people hospitalized were later recorded, according to county health department data.

Now Harris said she’s concerned the volume of infections stemming from Labor Day will exceed the impact seen after past summer holidays.

Harris said the videos she’s reviewed of Labor Day weekend parties and gatherings were “really terribly unfortunate.” But Harris said state and local law enforcement partners can’t be as “responsive” as she wants them to be.

“If I had the wand, I would be much more aggressive than they are able to be under the law,” Harris said.

That’s partially why the health department is sending coronavirus ambassadors into the community starting this week to bolster “voluntary compliance” and education among businesses.

County Commissioner Pat Cotham said Mecklenburg might be “too nice” in its coronavirus approach.

“Maybe we need a harder stance to these people,” Cotham said Wednesday. “Maybe we need a whole lot more: ‘Stop it. You could die. You could hurt somebody.’”

COVID-19 trends

It could take about two weeks from Labor Day before the health department’s data — which tracks new infections, testing, deaths and hospitalizations — reflects any related increase in the spread of COVID-19. That accounts for both the virus’s incubation period, as well as the amount of time it takes to be tested and receive results.

For now, data shows a period of modest improvement in the Charlotte area, which follows a peak in hospitalizations in late July.

▪ Over the past 14 days, the number of hospitalizations has been stable, county health officials say. An average of 146 people were hospitalized between Aug. 31 and Sept. 7. That’s down from an average of nearly 200 during the peak in July.

▪ The average number of new cases, tracked over a 14-day period, fell steadily between late-July and mid-August, data from the Department of Health and Human Services show. More recently, the figures have fluctuated but the average has been slowly trending up since late-August.

The increase in diagnosed infections was likely due to both less social distancing and more people gathering while not wearing masks, Harris said at a news conference Friday. The higher figures also came, Harris said, as LabCorp experienced a delay in its reporting and reported results in late August for a number of people who’d tested positive earlier in the month.

▪ The weekly percent of positive tests, as of Sept. 7, was 6.2%, a slight decrease compared to weeks past.

▪ Young adults make up nearly 45% of Mecklenburg’s total infections — a statistic that Harris has said is being closely monitored.

▪ There have been 26,666 total confirmed cases and 332 related deaths among county residents, officials said late Wednesday.

▪ The county has recorded 41 deaths in September alone, signaling the severity of infections weeks ago in the community. Data on COVID-19 deaths is considered a “lagging metric.”

This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 10:22 AM.