NC Coronavirus Updates

News coverage and resources related to the spread and response to the coronavirus in North Carolina and beyond.

WUNC is also compiling a list of organizations asking for support during this unprecedented time.  

Meat Processing Plant Outbreaks Reveal Failures In NC’s Regulatory Oversight

By & • 13 hours ago
A large brick industrial building with a Tyson sign on the side
Jacob Biba / Carolina Public Press

Nursing homes, schools, correctional facilities and childcare centers are required to report information about coronavirus outbreaks to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The state agency then shares that information publicly in its regularly-updated COVID-19 dashboard, which includes details about the specific facilities in which the outbreaks are happening and how many people have tested positive for the virus.

But the agency does not publish similar data about meat processing facilities, even though they have been a hot spot for the virus. 

Cooper Wins Key Ruling in COVID-19 Legal Fight With Forest

By • Aug 11, 2020
N.C. Governor Roy Cooper and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen.
N.C. Department of Public Safety

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper won another legal victory defending his COVID-19 executive orders on Tuesday, this time when a judge rejected Lt. Gov. Dan Forest's demand that they be blocked by declaring his lawsuit is unlikely to succeed.

UNC System Employees File Lawsuit Seeking Safe Working Conditions During Pandemic

By • Aug 11, 2020
Courtesy Jon Gardiner / UNC-Chapel Hill

A group of university staff and faculty have filed a lawsuit against the UNC System to seek safer working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. The plaintiffs are asking for a Wake County Superior Court judge to grant them class action status, and to step in on behalf of all UNC System employees.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of August 10

By • Aug 10, 2020
N.C. State Wolfpack Coronavirus Masks
Gerry Broome / AP

This post will be updated periodically with the latest information on how the coronavirus is affecting North Carolina. Scroll down for older updates. For a recap of last week's news, check out Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of Aug. 3.2:53 p.m

5:10 p.m. - Governor Roy Cooper is pushing back the deadline for school and childcare facilities to to collect proof-of-immunization and health assessment documentation. The state health department says Cooper's order considers the pandemic-related limitations of health care visits and gives students and families an additional 30 days to get the required shots and check-ups. - Rebecca Martinez, WUNC

WATCH: State Officials Hold Coronavirus Briefing

By • Aug 7, 2020

Gov. Cooper and members of the Coronavirus Task Force are scheduled to hold a media briefing on COVID-19 on Friday.

Business, Assembly And Mask Mandates Extended In NC

By • Aug 5, 2020
Health Secretary Mandy Cohen and Governor Roy Cooper
N.C. Department of Public Safety

  North Carolina's COVID-19 restrictions keeping some businesses with higher risks for spreading the virus closed and mass gatherings severely limited will remain in place for another five weeks, Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Wednesday.

WATCH: State Officials Hold Coronavirus Briefing

By • Aug 5, 2020

Gov. Cooper and members of the Coronavirus Task Force are scheduled to hold a media briefing on COVID-19. 

Watch live here starting at 4 p.m.

Back To School In NC: Keeping COVID-19 Out Of Classrooms

By & WHQR News & BPR News & WFAE News & WFDD News • Aug 5, 2020
The words 'Back to School In North Carolina: A Statewide Special' over lockers.
Brooke Bust-Webber/WUNC

Families across North Carolina are preparing to start a new school year in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. Most public school students are starting school online, but each school district around the state is doing things a little bit differently under guidelines released by Gov. Roy Cooper in July.

NC Teachers Worry About The Risks Of Returning To The Classroom

By Rachel Keith • Aug 5, 2020
A graphic featuring four teachers from New Hanover County.
Rachel Keith/WHQR

In-person teaching. Then, no in-person teaching. North Carolina public school teachers had to prepare for both possibilities since school let out in June. And it hasn’t been easy, as school districts across the state have flip-flopped between the two options. In Wilmington, WHQR checked in with some teachers about their fears of returning to the classroom during a pandemic.

NC School Districts Grapple With Reopening Plans As Pandemic Costs Mount

By • Aug 5, 2020
A school classroom with desks that are socially distanced.
Keri Brown/WFDD

As schools decide whether or not to hold class in person or online, one big question is at the root of it all — how much is it going to cost? The funding debate has been front and center, from the federal level down to the state and local districts, each playing its own part in planning for the next school year. There are many challenges ahead to keep students learning and everyone safe and all of it comes with a price tag.

COVID-19 Wiped Out A Lot Of North Carolina's State Savings

By • Aug 3, 2020

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This story is part of an NPR nationwide analysis of states' revenue and budgets during the pandemic.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of August 3

By • Aug 3, 2020
Gerry Broome / AP

This post will be updated periodically with the latest information on how the coronavirus is affecting North Carolina. Scroll down for older updates. For a recap of last week's news, check out Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of July 27.

6 p.m. - The Raleigh Christmas Parade will not proceed through North Carolina's Capital City this year, due to concerns over the pandemic. Instead, the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association will host a televised virtual event in late November. - Rebecca Martinez, WUNC

How NC Public Schools Are Preparing For Fall

By & • Jul 30, 2020
North Carolina Public School bus.
Dave DeWitt / WUNC

Over half of the students enrolled in North Carolina public schools will be starting their school year at home this fall. Gov. Roy Cooper announced earlier this month that public schools can open through a Plan B or hybrid model, with some in-home and some face-to-face instruction, or with a Plan C model, with remote-only instruction. 

Back To School In North Carolina: A Statewide Special

By & BPR News & WFDD News & WHQR News & WFAE News • Jul 28, 2020

School starts in just a few weeks, and no matter what districts across North Carolina do to re-open, this year will look different.

How are kids coping with plans for the fall? What concerns do teachers have about remote learning, and about their own safety? And how is the pandemic hitting school budgets?

Public radio stations from around the state are coming together for a back-to-school special. We check in with mental health experts, education officials and others to find out how North Carolina is handling the fall semester.

Pandemic-Related Stressors May Be Leading To More Gun Violence

By Jason deBruyn • Jul 27, 2020

On a muggy July evening in Durham, North Carolina, a black sedan pulled up to a party. Men got out of what police believe to be a Chevrolet Impala and opened fire on the partygoers gathered in the front yard.

Two young children, ages 8 and 4, were injured in the attack.

Later that night, another shooting — possibly related, according to police — took place at a Durham public housing development about five miles away. A stray bullet flew into an adjacent apartment unit, killing a 12-year-old boy.

Unpaid Bills Drive NC Families To Financial Brink

By The Washington Post & AP NC Exchange • Jul 27, 2020
Sharon McCutcheon / Unsplash Creative Commons

As many as 1 million families in North Carolina have fallen behind on their electric, water and sewage bills, threatening residents and their cities with severe financial hardship unless federal lawmakers act to approve more emergency aid.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of July 27

By • Jul 27, 2020
Coronavirus N.C. State prep mask
Gerry Broome / AP

This post will be updated periodically with the latest information on how the coronavirus is affecting North Carolina. Scroll down for older updates. For a recap of last week's news, check out Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of July 20.

6:10 p.m. - Governor Roy Cooper has declared a State of Emergency as Hurricane Isaias threatens to become North Carolina’s first test in responding to a hurricane in the midst of the pandemic. Forecasts differ, but the storm could reach the coast Monday as it tracks north. Meanwhile, coronavirus cases are near peak levels in the state. Cooper said social distancing means shelters won’t be able to hold as many people. So if evacuations are necessary, coastal residents should plan to stay with friends or family inland, or at a hotel. Those who need a shelter will be screened for COVID-19 and some may be housed in hotels for more isolation or, if they have symptoms, at a medical facility. - Jay Price, WUNC

Budget Cuts, Health Risks Loom For UNC System Campuses And Workers

By & • Jul 22, 2020
Courtesy Jon Gardiner / UNC-Chapel Hill

In an email to leaders at all 17 UNC System campuses, UNC Board of Governors Chairman Randall Ramsey asked each chancellor to prepare a proposal that reflects a budget cut of up to 50 percent. 

Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of July 20

By • Jul 20, 2020
covid
LM Otero / AP

This post will be updated periodically with the latest information on how the coronavirus is affecting North Carolina. Scroll down for older updates. For a recap of last week's news, check out Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of July 13.

2:50 p.m. - A temporary waiver giving people extra flexibility in preparing Living Wills and Health Care Powers of Attorney is set to end next week. These two directives have traditionally required notarization and the signatures of two witnesses. In response to the pandemic, the General Assembly passed a law in May waiving the the witness requirement until July 31. The Secretary of State's office says emergency video notarizations will be available to people preparing their advance directives until March. - Rebecca Martinez, WUNC

Clinical Trials For All

By & • Jul 17, 2020
Tested Podcast

The World Health Organization reports there are more than 150 vaccines for COVID-19 in various stages of development. But how do you ensure that everybody is fairly represented in clinical research trials, especially when people of color are dying at higher rates from the virus?

Host Leoneda Inge talks with Kent Thoelke, chief scientific officer and executive vice president of PRA Health Sciences, about the clinical research organization’s efforts to connect with diverse populations for COVID-19 treatment and vaccine trials.

Inge also discusses a recent measure passed by Asheville city council that will provide reparations for the city’s Black community. The resolution calls on the city to create a commission and designate funds to strengthen Black home and business ownership, and close gaps in healthcare, education and employment.


North Carolina Unemployment Rate Falls To 7.6% In June

By • Jul 17, 2020
Courtesy Governor Roy Cooper Twitter

North Carolina's jobless rate declined dramatically in June, the state announced on Friday, as restaurants, hotels and retailers bounced back since Gov. Roy Cooper's COVID-19 restrictions were eased.

Physical, Emotional And Economic Toll Of COVID-19 Pandemic Continues

By & • Jul 17, 2020
NC DHHS

North Carolina hit a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations this week, a day after Gov. Roy Cooper announced a three-week extension of Phase 2. 

More Questions Than Answers Follow Gov. Cooper’s School Reopening Plan

By & • Jul 15, 2020
Side photo of a North Carolina Public Schools bus.
NCDOT Communications

North Carolina public schools will open this fall with a mix of in-person and remote-learning options, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday. 

Cooper Announces NC K-12 To Reopen With Mix Of Online, In-Person Classes

By • Jul 14, 2020
LM Otero / AP Photo

 Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announced guidelines on Tuesday that will allow North Carolina K-12 schools to reopen at reduced in-classroom capacity but give parents and school districts the choice to have classes entirely online.

NC Supreme Court Puts Hold On Order That Resumed Bowling

By • Jul 14, 2020
Alan Levine / Creative Commons https://pxhere.com/en/photo/216327

North Carolina's highest court has temporarily blocked a judge's ruling that allowed dozens of North Carolina's bowling alleys to reopen by overturning a portion of Gov. Roy Cooper's COVID-19 executive order keeping them closed.

WATCH: Gov. Cooper To Announce Plans For K-12 Public Schools, Plus State COVID-19 Update

By • Jul 14, 2020
bus
Cole del Charco / WUNC

Governor Roy Cooper is slated to provide an update on education plans for K-12 public schools during the coronavirus pandemic. He will also issue a general update on statewide COVID-19 measures.

Watch the briefing live starting at 3 p.m.

NC Elections Officials Aim To Avoid Poll Worker Shortage This Fall

By • Jul 14, 2020
File photo of polling worker as she enters a polling place in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, April 24, 2019 as early voting began in the Republican primary election for the North Carolina 9th Congressional District, a special election that was forced after l
Chuck Burton / AP

Anne Moebes signed up to work at a polling site in Buncombe County for the March 3 primaries, just before the coronavirus pandemic really hit the United States. It was her first time volunteering as a poll worker and she ended up serving as a precinct judge.

Ocracoke Island Ravaged By Storms And Virus Restrictions

By • Jul 13, 2020
Ben Finley / AP Photo

When Hurricane Dorian pounded the wisp of earth that is Ocracoke Island, a wall of Atlantic seawater flooded Bob Chestnut’s home, surf shop and four vehicles.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of July 13

By • Jul 13, 2020
Medical personel handle testing at a community coronavirus testing site operated by Cone Health and the county Health Department in Burlington, N.C., Thursday, July 9, 2020.
Gerry Broome / AP

This post will be updated periodically with the latest information on how the coronavirus is affecting North Carolina. Scroll down for older updates. For a recap of last week's news, check out Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of July 6.

4:15 p.m. - With coronavirus infection rates setting new records across much of the country, medical troops from Fort Bragg have been deployed to help in one of the worst-hit states. Seventy-one soldiers with the 44th Medical Brigade have flown to McAllen, Texas. According to an emailed statement from the Army, they’ll help civilian hospitals in that area deal with critical care COVID-19 cases. Infection rates are so bad  in parts of Texas — including McAllen — that intensive care units are full, hospitals are adding beds in temporary facilities and refrigerated trucks have been ordered to help with overflow at morgues. The state hit a new single-day record for Covid-related deaths this week. - Jay Price, WUNC

This Is Our One Shot: High School Football Begins With Extra Precautions

By • Jul 10, 2020

Most high schools in the region have delayed football practice because of the coronavirus pandemic. One exception is Lake Norman High School in Iredell County, where coaches and players are practicing football differently this year.

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