Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Sept. 29
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 209,000
At least 209,137 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 3,494 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported 889 new COVID-19 cases, up from 868 the day before.
But the health department says the actual number of new cases is higher as a technical problem prevented some laboratory information from being processed. The missing numbers will be included in Wednesday’s count.
Forty-nine deaths were reported Tuesday.
About 6% of tests were reported positive on Sunday, the most recent date for which data is available. That’s above health officials’ goal of 5% or lower.
At least 950 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, an increase from 905 the day before. Monday’s preliminary hospitalization total had been 897.
Phase 2.5 of reopening is set to expire Oct. 2, and Gov. Roy Cooper has said he will announce this week whether the state will continue relaxing coronavirus-related restrictions.
Mail-in ballot processing begins
County elections boards across North Carolina began processing absentee ballots Tuesday.
Demand for mail-in ballots has increased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of late Monday, 1,095,327 North Carolina voters had requested absentee ballots — more than 10 times more requests than during this time in 2016.
Democrats and Republicans have been at odds over what to do with mail-in ballots with mistakes.
The N.C. Board of Elections last week announced it reached a settlement with a political group representing retirees and extended the amount of time that ballots postmarked by Election Day could arrive and still be counted. It also made it easier to fix mistakes on ballots.
Republicans have called the rule changes illegal and two Republican members of the board stepped down after voting to approve the settlement, saying they were misled.
On Tuesday, the state Republican Party “lashed out” at an email the board sent to local boards directing them to follow the state’s guidance, The News & Observer reports.
Democrats say Republicans are only raising questions about the ballots to create mistrust about the election.
So far, Democrats have seemed “more inclined” to vote by mail than Republicans.
NC releases guidelines for Halloween
The state health department has released guidelines for celebrating Halloween during the coronavirus pandemic, The News & Observer reported Tuesday.
Health officials strongly recommend parents don’t send their children door-to-door to trick or treat. Doing so, along with taking candy from a shared bucket and attending crowded, indoor costumes parties are all considered high-risk activities, the department says.
Giving out individually-wrapped “goodie bags,” attending outdoor parties with social distancing and masks and tossing candy to children from 6 feet away are considered moderate-risk activities.
Pumpkin carving and virtual events are considered low risk.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the health department, has asked mayors to adopt local guidelines.
Consequences for refusing to wear masks at Wake schools
The Wake County school system could fire staff and suspend students who repeatedly refuse to wear masks.
A draft of guidelines before the Wake County School Board Tuesday emphasizes the importance of wearing face coverings to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and outlined potential consequences for those who continue to violate the policy.
The guidelines include a few exceptions to the requirement, including short mask breaks, students who have a behavioral issue and employees who have a medical issue.
The guidelines come as the board is set to vote Tuesday on a plan for bringing students back for in-person instruction start Oct. 26.
The vote will be held during a 6 p.m. virtual meeting.
The Orange County school board is also scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss opening schools using a hybrid model that would include in-person and remote classes.
This comes as Southwest Elementary School in Durham will close until Wednesday due to a probable case of COVID-19 in an employee, Durham Public Schools announced.
The school is home to one of the district’s six remote learning centers that provide full-day childcare. It’s also one of 25 schools that serve as a food distribution site.
Both will reopen Wednesday, and families who normally pick up meals at Southwest Elementary can do so at W.G. Pearson Elementary on Tuesday.
It’s the fourth time since August the district has temporarily closed a school due to a COVID-19 test.
Officials are working on contact tracing following the positive test.
Program to help Raleigh-area renters during COVID-19
Residents who have fallen behind on rent can get help through a new program in Wake County, home to Raleigh.
To be eligible, each person must demonstrate receiving a financial blow from COVID-19 and not getting other rental assistance. The initiative is expected to help roughly 3,000 households avoid evictions.
“The Wake County program will cover 50% of a person’s back rent from March to December if the landlord agrees to wave the remaining balance,” The News & Observer reported Tuesday. “Landlords must also offer 25% discounted rent for January through March 2021 and agree to not pursue eviction.”
Outdoor dining areas planned for Charlotte
The city of Charlotte started a program to bring restaurant dining to its streets during the coronavirus pandemic.
Plaza Midwood is home to the “first of up to about 15” al fresco sites planned through the StreetEats program, The Charlotte Observer reported. Monica Holmes, Charlotte city planner, said the initiative helps restaurants that have struggled during COVID-19.
Across the state, restaurants have been ordered to operate at 50% capacity to help stop the spread of the disease.
Visitors allowed back in long-term care facilities
Visitations are now allowed indoors at North Carolina nursing homes as long as the facility hasn’t had a recent coronavirus outbreak.
Cohen signed an order Monday allowing indoor visits at long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, adult care homes and other congregate facilities.
It applies to facilities that haven’t had an outbreak in at least 14 days and to those in counties with a positive COVID-19 test rate that’s below 10%. All but seven of the state’s 100 counties currently met that mark as of Saturday, The News & Observer reported.
Visitors must be screened for coronavirus symptoms and must wear a face covering. They also must use hand sanitizer before and after each visit, among other rules.
Town salutes firefighter lost to COVID-19
Hundreds gathered in Clayton on Monday to salute a firefighter who died last week of complications from the coronavirus.
Jason Dean, 42, tested positive for the virus after an outbreak at the Clayton Fire Department.
His coffin, draped in a flag, rolled down Main Street on Monday on his deputy chief’s fire truck while attendees gathered on the sidewalk holding American flags, wearing red ribbons and holding up their arms in salute, The News & Observer reports.
“He deserves it,” Willie Bridges, a retired Clayton firefighter, told The N&O. “They’re going to miss him. He was a good man. We’ve just got to take care of ourselves with this COVID-19.”
200,000 masks to be delivered monthly to health care workers
A North Carolina-based group plans to make and deliver 200,000 masks each month to health care workers.
Made in NC is using textile technology from N.C. State University to make N95 masks available as the coronavirus continues its spread. Collaborators include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, UNC Health, NC State’s Nonwovens Institute and Freudenberg Performance Materials.
“We are all working together toward a common goal of protecting those who continue to protect the people and communities across our state,” Tunde Sotunde, Blue Cross N.C. CEO, said in a statement.
The announcement comes after hospitals early in the pandemic created stockpiles of N95 masks, which prevent 95% of particles or more from entering a person’s mouth or nose.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 7:05 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Sept. 29."
