Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 20

We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.

Cases top 6,800

North Carolina has at least 6,867 reported cases of the coronavirus as of Monday afternoon, and 205 people have died, according to state and county health departments.

At least 373 North Carolinians were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. That’s down from 465 on Sunday.

The state’s reported case total went up by 271, a day after new cases totaled 353. North Carolina’s case count has doubled every 12 days, which is a metric officials are monitoring when they consider lifting coronavirus-related restrictions, The News & Observer reported.

Two deaths were reported as of Monday morning, compared to 12 reported on Sunday.

Only seven counties in the state have not reported a case of the virus.

Mecklenburg County has the most, with 1,231 cases and 31 deaths reported.

In the Triangle, Wake County has 605 reported cases and eight deaths and Durham County has 409 cases and five deaths.

Protests allowed

Gov. Roy Cooper gave the green light on Monday to a planned protest on Thursday in Raleigh against his statewide stay-at-home order, as long as participants follow social distancing guidelines.

“So that there is no confusion regarding this issue,” William McKinney, the governor’s legal counsel, wrote in a letter to ReOpenNC, “outdoor protests are allowed so long as the protesters maintain the social distancing requirement that individuals stay six feet apart unless they are members of the same household.”

ReOpenNC is a grassroots group opposing the state’s stay-at-home order and business closures.

One protester from the group was arrested last week for violating the executive order, prompting them to retain legal counsel.

Anthony Biller, a Raleigh-based attorney with Michael Best & Friedrich, sent a letter Friday to Cooper on ReOpenNC’s behalf “seeking guidance that the group could practice its First Amendment right to protest,” the News & Observer reported.

They had threatened to take legal action if the group didn’t receive a response by 2 p.m. Monday.

Feeding kids in need

The federal government is giving some families in North Carolina extra benefits to offset the cost of feeding children who normally eat one or two meals a day at school, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday.

Under the pandemic electronic benefit programs, families who receive free or reduced lunches will get an extra $250 per child applied to EBT cards, the News & Observer reported.

N.C. DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen announced during the same press conference that the coronavirus is now the leading causeof death in the U.S.

Reopen NASCAR?

A growing number of politicians — including State Treasurer Dale Folwell and N.C. Speaker of the House Tim Moore — are calling on Gov. Roy Cooper to allow Charlotte Motor Speedway to host the Coca-Cola 600 next month.

The 600-mile race would be held without fans in attendance.

“NASCAR has affirmed its intention to return to racing in May,” Moore wrote in a letter to the governor on Monday, “and the Coca-Cola 600 offers an excellent opportunity to host a historic event in our state while prioritizing health and public safety by holding the race without fans.”

They joined five Republican state senators from the Charlotte area already pushing for the partial reopening

Cases are fraction of the total

Officials said the roughly 1,200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Mecklenburg County could account for “as little as 5-10%” of actual infections, the Charlotte Observer reported Monday.

The figure underscores North Carolina’s lack of available testing and restricted screening, according to the Observer.

“If the 1,200 cases comprised only 5% of the total, that would mean there are at least 24,000 cases in Mecklenburg County,” the Observer reported.

Drinking on the job

A survey of nearly 13,000 workers in all 50 states found 47.7% of North Carolinians working from home have admitted to drinking on the job.

The national average was just under 42%, the Charlotte Observer reported.

DMV customer service

Callers will not be able to reach the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ customer service line for an unknown amount of time. A Bladen County call center is shut down while an employee waits for coronavirus test results.

The N.C. Department of Transportation website has links for submitting questions online, The News & Observer reported Monday.

Symptom reporting

Facebook on Monday released a map tool showing county-by-county coronavius data. In North Carolina, the highest portion of people reporting symptoms of the virus was in Dare County, which includes parts of the Outer Banks, according to data through April 12.

Caldwell, Cleveland and Henderson counties — all in Western North Carolina — also had high percentages in comparison to the rest of the state.

Prison staff changes

State prison officials on Monday said they were moving additional staff to a facility where more than 350 inmates tested positive for COVID-19.

After inmates were transferred from Johnston Correctional Institution, that facility’s staffers are starting to work at the hard-hit Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.

The news came after the North Carolina Supreme Court declined to hear a case from public interest groups who sued for the release of some inmates during the coronavirus pandemic.

The NAACP, Disability Rights North Carolina, the state’s chapter of the ACLU and several inmates filed the lawsuit on April 8, The News & Observer reported. Days after the filing, state prison officials said about 500 inmates who met certain criteria could qualify for early release.

The state’s highest court left the door open for the lawsuit to proceed in state Superior Court.

Peak projections

North Carolina’s coronavius-related death toll reached its peak last week, according to experts at the University of Washington. The reported number of deaths in the state has fallen each day since April 16.

A University of Pennsylvania model shows hard-hit Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, will hit its peak case count on June 8.

Beaches reopen

Some North Carolina beaches that closed due to the coronavirus pandemic have reopened.

Surf City lifted restrictions at public beach access points throughout the town. Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle reopened beaches for property owners and residents.

In the Southeast, Georgia reopened its public beaches, and South Carolina plans to start doing so this week.

Cases at another federal prison

One inmate and at least three staff members at Rivers Correctional Institution in Hertford County have tested positive for the coronavirus, The News & Observer reports.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is tracking coronavirus cases and deaths, but not at a dozen privately run facilities across the country, including Rivers.

Butner in Granville County has one of the biggest coronavirus outbreaks among federal prisons, with 65 inmates and 27 staff members reportedly testing positive. Five inmates there have died.