Coronavirus in NC: Live updates for May 29, 2020: CDC releases new reopening guidelines for businesses
Here are the latest updates on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in North Carolina and across the globe.
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The district polled its 1,261 graduating seniors and their families to determine their graduation preferences. Over 80% of respondents favored on-field graduations, with the understanding that these types of events are not being recommended at this time. After much discussion, the Wayne County Board of Education canceled the district’s alternative graduation plan and directed schools to begin making plans to hold on-field graduation ceremonies.
The board considered the state's pandemic restrictions, which exempt educational institutions from the mass gathering limit of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, as well as guidance from the state Department of Health and Human Services discouraging traditional graduation ceremonies because of the risk of spreading coronavirus.
No event dates have been set, but officials said they hope all of the graduations can be held by the end of June.
The spring semester will begin a week later than normal, on Jan. 19, 2021, and final exams will be held the week of April 26. Commencement for the Class of 2021 will take place on May 9. There will be no spring break in 2021.
"Our goal is to enable as many of our students who are able and who choose to participate in an on-campus experience for the fall semester to do so, but only if it can be done safely," president Vincent Price said in a statement. "To do all this safely and successfully, we all must make significant changes to the way we live, study and work, and we are reconfiguring residential, classroom and office facilities to make it possible."
Some of the changes include the following:
- All faculty, students, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks in public on campus and practice physical distancing.
- All students living on campus will be tested for coronavirus before they are permitted to begin classes.
- All students will complete daily health checks through a monitoring app and report concerning symptoms to the Student Health and Wellness.
- All students living in on-campus or off-campus housing will be expected to remain in the Durham area during the semester.
- On-campus dining centers will provide expanded take-out options and limited in-person service using reservation systems.
"Our Memorial Day protest rally in Raleigh was our last for now," Smith said in an email. "Our plan was always to reopen the state completely, but we recognized this has to be accomplished in stages."
Researchers from Duke University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of Texas at El Paso and New York University confirmed that the closest relative of the virus was a coronavirus that infects bats. But that virus’ ability to infect humans was gained through exchanging a critical gene fragment from a coronavirus that infects a scaly mammal called a pangolin, which made it possible for the virus to infect humans.
The researchers report that the jump from species to species was the result of the virus’ ability to bind to host cells through alterations in its genetic material. It's as if the virus retooled the key that enables it to unlock a host cell’s door, they said.
"Very much like the original SARS that jumped from bats to civets or MERS that went from bats to dromedary camels and then to humans, the progenitor of this pandemic coronavirus underwent evolutionary changes in its genetic material that enabled it to eventually infect humans,” said Dr. Feng Gao, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Duke's School of Medicine.
Gao and colleagues said tracing the virus’ evolutionary pathway will help deter future pandemics arising from the virus and possibly guide vaccine research.
Each courthouse will have a maximum occupancy number posted on the door. If that number is exceeded, people will be asked to leave the building on a “Last In, First Out” basis. Those asked to leave or whose entrance has been delayed for capacity reasons will be notified by text message when the number of people present in the courtroom is below the maximum.
"The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that we have to aggressively attack the digital divide in our community," Superintendent Pascal Mubenga said in a statement. "Whether we will be back in our classrooms or continuing remote learning, our students will have access to rigorous new learning with their teachers’ support."
Also, a DPS task force planning for safely resuming classes in the 2020-21 school year has taken the following steps:
- Adopted a calendar for year-round schools and is considering modifications to the traditional calendar
- Is developing end-of-year health and safety guidance for principals to allow staff, students and families recover items left when schools closed in March
- Is developing procedures for safe records exchanges between schools by June 15 and plans to create an online enrollment system for families
- Is developing a consistent screening process to help limit the virus' spread when staff returns
Some analysts say there is an aspect of "forced savings"because so much of the economy has been closed due to the pandemic.
Two Sampson County residents are among the latest deaths.
"The governor mentioned during his press conference on Thursday that his decision to keep bars closed was based on data, science and daily briefings from doctors and health care experts. We have asked to see the information he relied on to inform us as we proceed," the group said in a news release.
Adult inpatients at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Hoke Hospital, Bladen County Hospital and Cape Fear Valley Rehabilitation Center may have one companion from noon to 8 p.m. Patients age 17 and younger may have two companions who are the patient’s parents or legal guardians. Long-term acute care patients at Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital still cannot have any companion to protect the vulnerable population in the facility from coronavirus.
"This is about safety, about being able to meet every parent’s expectations that their child will be healthy at the end of the day," Cary Town Manager Sean Stegall said in a statement. "While we offer wonderful camps, we simply don’t have the expertise to be able to confidently guarantee that on a large scale during a pandemic."
Olarta-Loaiza, who was serving a 12-year sentence on drug charges, tested positive for the virus on May 10 and died Thursday.
Butner has one of the largest virus outbreaks in the federal prison system, with 160 inmates and 14 staffers infected. Hundreds of others at the complex have already recovered from previous infections, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
Other canceled events include summer day camps at the Community Center, Hargraves and Teen Center; Library Summer Blast performances and programs; Movies Under the Stars; National Trails Day activities; Studio 109 artists-in-residence and open studio; and all Parks and Recreation programs beginning before July 6.
Decisions about programs beginning on or after July 6 will be announced later.
Launching Pad Raleigh Trampoline Park Inc. alleges in a federal lawsuit that the forced closure amounts to an unconstitutional government seizure, and owner Kristie Sisson asks the a judge overturn Cooper's restrictions and award her $500,000 in damages, as well as punitive damages.
"Cooper’s COVID-19 Executive Orders are arbitrary and unreasonable and let him choose winners and losers in private business with no rational basis, thereby violating well-established notions of substantive and procedural due process," the lawsuit states.
Gyms and strip clubs also have sued over the restrictions, and bar owners are expected to do so as well.
"The data-driven decision to test the entire offender population at the prison was based on a gradual increase in the number of offenders who tested positive for COVID-19 through symptom-based testing, as well as a gradual increase in the number of staff who either self-reported testing positive for the virus or who tested positive in a Caswell County Health Department-offered voluntary testing initiative that began on May 8," DPS said in a news release.
Any inmates who test positive will be placed in isolation, while those who test negative will remain in quarantine and have their health monitored. All inmates are required to wear masks, and the prison is using high-powered misting machines to spray disinfectant in dormitories.
More than 650 inmates have been infected in 13 state prisons. Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro accounts for about three-quarters of those cases. DPS conducted mass testing of inmates there in April.
Researchers say wearing a face mask was 79 percent effective in stopping the spread but only if it was worn before people started showing symptoms.
President Donald Trump threatened to move the convention unless North Carolina could guarantee a full house at the Spectrum Center, even with the state's limits on mass gatherings during the pandemic. So, Cooper and his health officials requested a detailed health safety plan from convention organizers. They responded with a list of eight safety protocols.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, wrote back Friday reiterating the need for more detailed plan, including social distancing inside the arena and guidelines for masks, hygiene and social distancing at GOP-sponsored meetings, receptions and other events elsewhere in Charlotte.
"How will the RNC isolate individuals who do not pass the thermal and health screenings?" she asked. "How will contact tracing be conducted for others with whom they may have come in contact? Given the evidence of asymptomatic spread of COVID-19, what additional precautions will the RNC take to prevent spread of the virus?"
"In early March, it was virtually impossible to locate, source and secure PPE, despite working with contacts and using any and all options," Lawson said. "Ultimately, the market was empty ... but now we have a steady flow into our inventory."
UNC Health had put elective procedures on hold but is starting to schedule those again while balancing an intake of coronavirus patients.
"We are very agile in our approach, we can make adjustments hour-by-hour as they're needed," he said.
Almost 970,000 people have filed unemployment claims since mid-march, and only 640,000 have been paid. They have received nearly $2.85 billion in aid, the bulk of which comes from federal benefits being used to supplement state unemployment.
Parks officials note that, which the city will implement a more frequent cleaning schedule, amenities aren't sanitized daily, and park visitors must use them at their own risk. All users also must follow group size and social distancing guidelines.
Park open space, greenways and nature preserves are already open.
For those unemployed and looking for a job, the top five in-demand, temporary jobs include warehouse workers, sanitation workers, food processing, construction and manufacturing, according to staffing firm "People Ready."
On July 1, a smaller, second phase of store closing sales will begin. The company said earlier this month it plans to shut almost 30% of its 846 stores permanently.
- Only people with official business will be allowed inside, and they are asked not to bring family and friends.
- People will undergo coronavirus screening upon arrival.
- Cloth face coverings are required inside at all times. A limited number of masks available at the entrance.
- People should wash or sanitize their hands regularly while inside.
- People should stay 6 feet apart from others at all times. Floors have been marked.
Through the grant, eligible North Carolina residents may receive certain employment services or workforce training for industries that are hiring workers. Opportunities funded by the grant will vary depending on local needs, but may include: on-the-job training, temporary employment, occupational skills training and supportive services.
Researchers found that, even if their cancer wasn't spreading, the coronavirus infection nearly doubled their risk of dying. Overall, 13% of patients died during the study period and within 30 days of being diagnosed with COVID-19.
UNC, WakeMed and Duke Hospitals all say they have beds, protective gear, ventilators and the capacity to handle a surge of cases. UNC is the only hospital in the Triangle with its emergency department tents still up. Duke and WakeMed have theirs on standby.
Family members say she took one sip, commented on how cold it tasted, and after a smile to nurses, she enjoyed a second sip. The family still cannot visit Stejna due to health concerns, but they're confident she will be just fine.
UNC said human trials could begin as early as next month.
"The measures we have taken have been informed by public health experts, science and North Carolina’s data to protect people from this highly contagious and, for some, very dangerous virus," she said. "Thursday's legislative action was not informed by any of those things."
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