NC launches effort to test for and trace coronavirus; Cooper says more federal help needed

Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday announced a partnership with the state’s three medical universities to increase testing and tracing, on the same day the state’s total coronavirus cases topped 6,000, according to an independent count by The News & Observer.

The official state Department of Health and Human Services report, released Friday morning, had 5,859 confirmed cases statewide, up 394 from Thursday’s total. Of those infected people, 429 are hospitalized, a slight decrease from Thursday’s 452 patients. The largest one-day surge was 404 cases on April 11.

The News & Observer is keeping a separate tally that includes reports from county health departments, a total that is typically higher as DHHS updates its numbers once a day. That count stood at 6,015 cases Friday afternoon with 171 fatalities.

Cooper said in a Friday afternoon news conference that the University of North Carolina, East Carolina University and Duke University have joined a project to use testing and tracing to see how far COVID-19 has spread in the state.

“This research is part of a coordinated statewide effort to learn more about what percentage of people have no symptoms and to better understand the true number of COVID-19 infections in our state,” Cooper said.

Tracing is another important part of the equation, Cooper said.

“We’re continuing to deploy (tracing) groups to hot spots, like nursing homes, to find out where the virus has spread and warn those who might be at risk,” he said.

The governor also emphasized the need for more help from the federal government with testing and PPE (personal protective equipment).

“When governors are faced with global supply chain breakdowns when it comes to supplies and equipment, the federal government must help more,” Cooper said. “And they have some, and we appreciate it, but not enough.”

Cooper’s stay-home order remains in effect with new restrictions on crowd size inside stores now in their fifth day.

More tests and tracing, along with a close eye on trends of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, are necessary before the state can begin easing stay-at-home restrictions, Cooper said.

So far, the coronavirus has struck 93 of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

Durham requires face masks in public places

Durham County and the City of Durham announced updates to its stay-at-home order Friday night to focus on face coverings, farmers markets and real estate sales.

Starting Monday at midnight, people will be required to wear face coverings in public and private places where it’s not possible to maintain social distancing. That includes places like grocery stores, pharmacies, public transit and businesses, according to a news release.

People should still maintain social distancing, the release says, when possible. Face coverings can include homemade or factory-made masks as well as scarves, T-shirts or towels.

The order says those without the face coverings won’t be removed or denied entry to public transit.

The order also aims to provide guidance for farmers market vendors and includes rules for setting up tents and hand washing stations, operations and displaying food.

The order has provisions for real estate agents and people buying and selling homes with rules for showing homes.

Two deaths at Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg reported two coronavirus-related deaths on Friday.

The news came in a statement from Lt. Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, commanding general of the 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg. One of the people was a Department of the Army civilian employee and the other was a contractor who worked at Fort Bragg, according to the statement. Officials said the deaths, which occurred on Thursday, are the first ones related to the virus with a connection to Fort Bragg. Both were residents of Cumberland County.

The virus has not yet reached its peak in North Carolina, according to reports from UNC and Rex hospitals. The frequently cited University of Washington model estimated the heaviest level of outbreak would come this week, but cases are still rolling in by triple digits a day statewide and experts think the crest could come as late as mid-May.

But medical staff believe they have enough beds, equipment and staff to handle coronavirus at its highest caseload, according to Janet Hadar, president of UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.

Meanwhile, the UNC System is asking for less money in its biennial budget request to the state legislature as the coronavirus pandemic has diminished universities’ revenue and hurt the state’s economic health.

The revised budget request has a $185 million decrease in operating expenditures from the original budget request, UNC System interim President Bill Roper said at a Board of Governors meeting Friday. The budget removes nearly all $632 million of capital improvement projects at several universities across the state that were previously approved by the legislature, he said.

The new budget also includes a special $45 million request in one-time relief to offset new expenses and lost revenue as a result of the pandemic, Roper said. That money will be distributed to universities for costs related to the transition to online instruction for the spring semester, facility sanitation, canceled activities and other emergency expenses, plus digital learning enhancements.

NC House Speaker Tim Moore said the state legislature will work to avoid tax hikes, teacher furloughs and pay cuts when it meets in coming weeks.

“Despite difficult and uncertain times, the people of North Carolina are working together on shared priorities across bipartisan lines to mitigate the devastation of this pandemic,” he said in a Friday news release.

Meanwhile, the state Division of Employment Security reported more than 630,000 people have filed for unemployment insurance benefits in the past month. By the end of next week, the division plans to triple its staff to 1,600 people processing those claims, which many have found difficult to file.

“This will be the largest number of people working to provide unemployment benefits in North Carolina’s history,” said Lockhart Taylor, assistant secretary. “We are prepared to take whatever steps we need to take to deliver the help North Carolinians need during these difficult times.”

Graduation ceremonies in Wake County?

In Wake County, school leaders say they’re still hoping to hold high school graduation ceremonies despite the coronavirus pandemic interrupting the school year.

About 11,000 Wake County high school seniors had planned to graduate in ceremonies scheduled for May and June, mostly at the Raleigh Convention Center and N.C. State University’s Reynolds Coliseum.

Wake County Superintendent Cathy Moore said Friday that the district is maintaining its contracts for the venues as it tries to hold on to its graduation plans.

“We have had discussions about alternatives should those late May, early June dates not work,” Moore said at a news conference Friday. “I really am committed to figuring out a way to provide our seniors with that milestone.”

All North Carolina public schools are closed through at least May 15 to try to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Businesses work to stay ‘essential’

The North Carolina Department of Revenue has received more than 4,000 requests since Cooper’s March 27 stay-at-home order from businesses unsure about their status or that want to apply for essential status to keep operating.

Most requests have been from businesses that were already essential but seeking clarification, like construction companies, spokesperson Schorr Johnson said. Some deemed non-essential have had to fight to continue operations while others pivoted to essential items to continue manufacturing a product.

In some cases, whether a company can stay open and what it can manufacture depends on what permits it has.

Business owners seeking permission to keep working can apply through the N.C. Department of Revenue.

Sports community shows support through food

Figures from the local sports community are showing their gratitude and helping those in need during the coronavirus pandemic by donating food.

Don Waddell, president and general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, and his wife, Cheryl, are buying approximately 500 lunches for sanitation workers in Raleigh, Durham and Cary. The Waddells are donating $15 gift cards to 500 of the workers in recognition of their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We were watching the news and saw the stories about the sanitation workers and how much harder they’re working now and that one had passed away from the virus,” Waddell said in an interview Friday. “We said let’s do something special for them and show some appreciation for what they do for us as a community. They’ve got a pretty big task on their hands.”

Adrian Grubbs, a supervisor in the Raleigh Solid Waste Services Department, died in March from complications related to the coronavirus. Grubbs, 37, was a 17-year employee of the City of Raleigh.

The gift cards are for meals at Bojangles’ and Buffalo Brothers, which also are providing some of the cards, which will be distributed early next week.

Former Duke manager Kevin Marchetti appeared on the Blue Devils’ Twitter livestream Friday to announce that his food supply company, Lineage, was partnering with Coach K and Duke to donate $225,000 to the Foodbank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

The Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that has helped feed the hungry in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for 40 years.

Jennifer Caslin, marketing project manager for the food bank, appeared on the broadcast and said the need has spiked 150 percent.

Staff writers Kate Murphy, T. Keung Hui Trent Brown, Chip Alexander and Langston Wertz Jr. contributed to this report.