COVID-19 In NC: Governor Declares State Of Emergency

NORTH CAROLINA —Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Tuesday, aimed at limiting the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, in North Carolina. The news comes less than one day after five people tested “presumptive positive” for the illness in Wake County, bringing the statewide total to seven.

“While we expect many more cases, we can limit the number of people who get seriously ill,” Cooper said at a press conference Tuesday.

The state of emergency declaration is a mechanism that will help speed supplies to the state, allow access to federal funds, provide emergency management personnel flexibility in responding and protects consumers from price gouging, Cooper said.

“I ask all North Carolinians to take this seriously,” Cooper said. “Anyone can carry the virus to loved ones or friends who could become ill. Protecting public health means being cautious and being prepared.”

Here are new statewide recommendations from NC Department of Health and Human Services:

• Wash hands often
• Avoid touching your face
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
• Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently
• Stay home if sick
• Plan in case you need to miss work
• For those in a higher-risk group, such as those over 65 or those with underlying health conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or with weakened immune systems, avoid mass travel and large gatherings
• Facilities that serve as residences for high-risk groups, such as nursing homes and assisted living communities, should restrict visitors.
• Event organizers should urge anyone who is sick or considered high-risk to not attend, and adopt lenient refund policies.
• Event organizers should find ways to give people more physical space to limit close contact.

SEE ALSO: Coronavirus Outbreak: Tips To Prepare At Home

In the Research Triangle area, where six of the state’s seven cases are located, NC DHHS is recommending employers use telework technology as much as possible and encourage sick workers to stay home.

Organizers of mass gatherings in the Triangle area that target high-risk or older adults should consider canceling events, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of NCDHHS.

“We are not currently recommending preemptive closure of schools,” Cohen said. However, “recommendations about school closures could change as we learn more,” she added.

North Carolina’s state lab has tested 44 people total and has supplies on hand to test another 300 people.

“We know that there are more cases out there,” Cohen said.

Overnight, five new cases of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, have been reported in Wake County, bringing the total number of presumptive positive test results in North Carolina to seven, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The five new North Carolina cases announced Monday are all linked to a Biogen biotechnology conference held in Boston in late February that has since been linked to at least 32 cases, according to the Boston Herald.

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Last week, a Wake County man became North Carolina’s first COVID-19 case, after he reportedly visited a long-term care facility at the center of an outbreak in Washington state.

Friday, a Chatham County man who recently returned from a trip to Northern Italy became the state’s second case. The man is in isolation in his home and doing well, according to state health officials, the Charlotte Observer reported.

The man initially experienced mild flu-like systems while traveling to an area of Italy experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak in late February, and flew back to the U.S. after his fever went away, the newspaper said.

Globally, more than 116,000 people have been infected and at least 4,088 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Tuesday morning. Of that total, more than 80,000 cases have been reported in China, while the entire United States has 761 confirmed cases to date.

Monitor the latest information on COVID-19 in North Carolina and across the United States:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services

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