Wear Masks In Public, Advise Mecklenburg Health Officials

CHARLOTTE, NC — Mecklenburg County health officials are recommending county residents wear cloth face masks in public settings as the number of novel coronavirus cases continue to grow in the county. As of Thursday, there are now at least 19 deaths and 1,084 people in Mecklenburg County who have been confirmed as infected with novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

"We continue to learn more about COVID-19 and how to reduce the spread of it," Mecklenburg County Public Health said in a notice. "There is some evidence people without symptoms may be spreading the virus. Droplets from breathing or speaking may spread COVID-19 from person to person. Therefore, the use of cloth face masks may help decrease transmission of the virus."

Health officials in Mecklenburg's northern neighbor, Iredell County, issued a similar recommendation April 9.

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MCPH said cloth masks should not be placed on children under 2 years of age, or used by anyone having trouble breathing or is unconscious or incapacitated.

Health officials urge residents to:

• Routinely wash the face mask daily. It should be fully dry before using.
• Avoid adjusting the mask by touching the face while it is on.
• Continue to wash hands frequently while wearing the mask.
• Be careful to not touch eyes, noise and mouth when removing the mask, and wash hands immediately after removing.

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 131 in North Carolina, state health officials said Thursday morning. There are now 5,465 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and 452 related hospitalizations.

North Carolina's number of cases reported April 16 represents an increase of 342 confirmed cases in a day.

Mecklenburg County has the largest number of confirmed cases with 1,084 cases and 19 deaths, followed by Wake County (552 cases, one death), Durham County (350 cases, two deaths), Rowan County (214 cases, four deaths) and Cabarrus County (198 cases, three deaths).

Globally, more than 2 million people have been infected and at least 140,773 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Thursday afternoon. Of that total, more than 641,000 cases have been confirmed in the United States.

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