Charlotte, ‘this is not a good time’ for big Halloween parties, health director warns
Halloween parties in and around Charlotte this weekend may be high-risk activities due to continued community spread of COVID-19, said Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris on Friday. Mecklenburg is considered by both state and federal public health officials to be at greater risk of coronavirus outbreaks, based on the most recent data showing a rise in infections.
Harris urged all Halloween revelers to follow COVID-19 protocols, and to especially steer clear of large parties and crowded trick-or-treating areas where the virus can spread quickly via close contact.
“Halloween is also a time when people like to come together — this is not a good time to do that,” Harris said during a news conference Friday. “That is where we’re going to see more exposure...We’re hoping that people will comply and try to avoid those types of situations.”
A Halloween movie night, DIY backyard scavenger hunt, pumpkin carving or virtual party are all considered lower-risk activities, according to Mecklenburg’s guidance. Trick-or-treating can be done safely if individually wrapped candy or goodie bags are left for children to grab without contact.
In all instances, when spending time around those outside your own household, health officials advise social distancing be observed and that masks be worn. Even with a costume mask, you should still wear a proper face covering to avoid potentially infecting people around you.
Mecklenburg discourages haunted houses, as well as packed restaurants and bars that could fuel outbreaks. Harris said one family party at Nikko Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar — which has since been cited by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department — led to at least four known cases recently.
Local COVID-19 trends
The health director said Friday that the bulk of new infections are still occurring among young adults ages 20 to 39. And in the past week, on average, state Department of Health and Human Services data show Mecklenburg has been adding more than 200 daily new infections.
That’s less than at the peak point in July when the county saw more than 300 new cases per day on average. Through August and most of September, health figures show a decline generally in the spread of the virus locally, an Observer analysis of publicly-available health data show. But since early October, the number of new cases and the positivity rate has been on the rise.
DHHS has recorded 34,193 cases since the start of the pandemic in March. That’s a rate of 308 cases for every 10,000 residents.
The death toll is 390, with just over half of those fatalities tied to outbreaks at long-term care facilities, local health officials said.
“With our numbers continuing to trend up, we must do the things to help keep us safe: Wear a mask, wash your hands and socially distance,” County Manager Dena Diorio said.
For now, Diorio said Mecklenburg County, the city of Charlotte and the six towns won’t impose additional restrictions to curb rising case tallies. Instead, the region will stay aligned with Phase 3 of Gov. Roy Cooper’s reopening plan, which is in effect until Nov. 13, Diorio said.
Mecklenburg’s average positivity rate — which officials closely monitor to gauge whether the pandemic is under control — was 6.2% in the past week. Earlier this month, it had hovered below 5%, a critical threshold from the Word Health Organization to guide reopening decisions.
An average of 121 people needed hospital-level care in the past week, compared to 84 at the start of October, according to the latest county health data.
Nearly 600 ventilators remain available in the greater Charlotte area, according to DHHS. It is unclear exactly how many ICU beds are open, due to unreported hospitalization numbers. Yet Harris emphasized that Atrium Health and Novant Health are in “good shape.”
“We are seeing increases in hospitalizations, but that is a slow increase,” Harris said. “We’re watching very carefully and closely. We know what’s happening across the country. We know the potential for significant increases in a short period of time.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 3:58 PM.