Here are the latest updates on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in North Carolina and across the globe:

What you need to know:

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  • North Carolina has 262 people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus, including at least two cases of community spread in which officials couldn't pinpoint the cause of the infection.
    • Nearly 15,000 people in the U.S. are infected, and about 200 people have died across the country.
      • The State Department has warned all U.S. citizens not to travel internationally.
        • President Trump's administration is closing the borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential traffic.
          • Governors in New York and California have ordered all residents of their states to remain at home, aside from essential services.
            • Congress is working on a $1 trillion stimulus package for the battered economy, including $1,200 checks for families.
              • North Carolina schools remain closed, and bars and restaurants are restricted to takeout, delivery and drive-thru orders.
                • Several North Carolina coastal communities have closed beaches to public access.
                  • A toll-free Hope Line has been established for older adults experiencing isolation from social distancing. Call 1-866-578-4673 or 1-866-578-HOPE.

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                    Latest updates:

                    Saturday, March 21

                    9:45 p.m.: NC State Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Warwick Arden sent out an email to students saying that when online classes resume Monday, there will be a pass/fail grading option. The email says details on the new options will be announced later on the Student Services Center website, but will include the following:

                    • The grading option can be applied to all graduate and undergraduate courses.
                      • The S/U grade will not carry grade points and will not impact your GPA.
                        • A grade of S will be assigned by the course instructor when the work is judged to be of C- quality or better.
                          • A grade of S will fulfill degree requirements, C-wall requirements, and prerequisites for future courses.
                            • A grade of U will not earn credit and will not affect a student’s GPA, though it will be used in Satisfactory Academic Progress calculations.
                              • Students will have the option of switching to this S/U grading basis until May 8th, which is after the semester has ended and most grades have been submitted. We suggest students consult with their adviser and/or instructor before making this change, as it cannot be reversed.

                                9:14 p.m.: Raleigh Parks posted this notice on its website Saturday night:

                                "Raleigh Parks playgrounds and park restrooms are closed until further notice beginning March 23, 2020. Open space and trails are open. Please remember to follow social distancing guidelines and stay 6 feet away from others."

                                8:57 p.m.: Nash County has been notified of its first presumptive case of COVID-19, health officials said. The person is at home and in isolation.

                                7:34 p.m.: Duke Health will place new restrictions starting Monday regarding coronavirus.

                                No visitors will be allowed into Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital until further notice. Limited exceptions will be made for the following:

                                • Patients nearing end of life or on hospice
                                  • Patients who are children (1 visitor)
                                    • Patients in the labor and delivery unit (1 visitor)
                                      • Patients being discharged from the hospital (1 visitor)

                                        Patients and visitors who meet these exceptions will be screened before entering all Duke Health facilities.

                                        7:12 p.m.: Wake County health officials said they are investigating 17 new positive cases of COVID-19. That brings the total in Wake County to 49, according to health officials.

                                        “This is the largest single-day increase in positive cases that we have seen yet, but it’s not unexpected, based on how the virus is spreading in our community,” said Dr. Jose Cabanas, Wake County EMS director/medical director who is overseeing public health operations today in the Emergency Operations Center.

                                        “Residents can help slow down the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the strain on our local healthcare system by continuing to practice social distancing and staying home when sick.”

                                        There are now 262 confirmed cases in North Carolina.

                                        6:49 p.m.: HanesBrands, which is based in Winston-Salem. announced in a press release on Saturday that it will start making masks at its factories for use during the coronavirus outbreak. The press release, which was obtained by WRAL's Travis Fain, read in part:

                                        "HanesBrands is converting production of apparel to production of cotton masks approved by the Federal Drug Administration for use when N-95 masks are not required (or are unavailable). HanesBrands is manufacturing the masks under contract with the U.S. federal government.

                                        "The company has joined a cooperative consortium of other major apparel manufacturers led by Parkdale Mills America that are dedicating manufacturing capacity to meet the U.S. need for masks during the COVID-19 crisis.

                                        "The company’s supply chain and product development experts created technical product specifications, including product chemistry, and samples of cotton masks in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that were approved by the FDA. HanesBrands has shared those specifications and patterns with the other companies in the consortium that are ramping up production of masks."

                                        6:41 p.m.: Carteret County has diagnosed a fifth case of coronavirus. No further information was released on the patient.

                                        6:34 p.m.: Durham County said another resident has tested positive for coronavirus. That brings the number of cases in Durham County to 40, health officials said.

                                        6:28 p.m.: Starbucks announced their in-store cafes will close on Saturday. Select grocery and drive-thru locations will remain open.

                                        6:02 p.m.: Oakwood neighbors in the Oakwood section of came outside, each on our own porch, balcony or front yard to sing, wave and say hello to neighbors and spread some cheer during the coronavirus outbreak Saturday.

                                        5:42 p.m.: Earlier Saturday, the FAA halted flights in and out of New York and Philadelphia after an air traffic control employee tested positive for coronavirus. That impacted some flights from arriving and leaving from RDU.

                                        After checking on arrivals and delays to and from those impacted areas, you could see on the display screens at the airport that some flights were impacted. The flights were only halted for about 30 minutes, the FAA said.

                                        The FAA released a statement on Twitter on Saturday saying: “A Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller trainee tested positive for COVID-19. The trainee has not been at the facility since March 17. FAA is working with local health officials and employee representatives to determine how many staffers he might have interacted with the trainee in recent days.”

                                        Later in the evening, the FAA released a new statement that said, in part: “Consistent with established FAA contingency plans to keep air traffic moving safely, we closed two controller areas for sanitizing while other areas continue to operate.”

                                        — Aaron Thomas

                                        5:14 p.m.: Add Durham the numbers of town and cities that will make public offices closed to the public. Durham County Government announced Saturday it would close most of its offices to the public beginning Monday. You can read more about the closures by going to their website.

                                        3:59 p.m.: The NC Chamber sent out an email saying shelter in place should be a last-ditch resort for North Carolina.

                                        "While some states have taken the drastic step of resorting to shelter-in-place orders endeavoring to control the spread of COVID-19, North Carolina’s practiced response to natural disasters and disciplined emergency management has us well positioned to avoid a total shutdown in the near term," Gary J. Salamindo, President and CEO of NC Chamber said in an email. "Undoubtedly, public health and safety sits prominently as our lodestar, but tripping the main breaker can only be a last resort – this position of the NC Chamber and the business community has been communicated to Governor Roy Cooper."

                                        3:56 p.m.: Carteret County has confirmed two more cases of coronavirus, bringing the total in the county to four. Officials said both are in isolation and recovering at home.

                                        3:27 p.m.: CNN is reporting New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced a statewide "stay at home" order which will go in to effect at 9 p.m. ET Saturday. This order follows New York and Connecticut which made similar orders Friday. There are 1,327 confirmed Covid-19 cases in New jersey with 16 deaths in total, Murphy said at a press conference on Saturday.

                                        3:20 p.m.: Cumberland County Department of Public Health was notified by Womack Army Medical Center’s Department of Public Health and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on ­­­­­­Saturday of a positive case COVID-19. There are three positive cases in Cumberland County. Officials said the affected person is in isolation at their residence on Fort Bragg.

                                        Click here to read the full letter.

                                        2:30 p.m.: North Carolina reports 241 cases of coronavirus.

                                        2:00 p.m.: Fort Bragg announced its fourth positive case of COVID-19.

                                        1:30 p.m.: North Raleigh Ministries, a local non-profit that provides a food pantry for people to 'shop' for groceries at no cost, is running low on finances and food. The organization derives most of its funding through its thrift store, which has closed due to coronavirus. Now, their freezer is bare when the community need is greatest.

                                        They are requesting financial assistance so they can continue to serve the community during this difficult time when their services are most-needed.

                                        1:00 p.m.: Two students who attend UNC Wilmington and at least one member of the UNC Chapel Hill community have tested positive for coronavirus. The students from UNCW are not currently at the school.

                                        12:30 p.m.: The Coronavirus Task Force will give a briefing from the White House on the latest updates on how coronavirus is impacting the United States. Watch the update live on WRAL.com.

                                        11:35 a.m.: North Carolina has 231 cases, with Mecklenburg County reporting 34 new cases today.

                                        11:30 a.m.: Robeson County reported its first confirmed case of coronavirus.

                                        11:00 a.m.: 196 people have tested positive for coronavirus in North Carolina.

                                        10:30 a.m.: The man who created a Facebook Live saying he had coronavirus while walking in a busy public area has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and perpetrating a hoax. Officials said he had not tested positive for coronavirus.

                                        10:00 a.m.: Volunteers from Feed My Sheep food pantry said they are providing food for senior citizens at 107 N. Driver street today between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

                                        9:30 a.m.: Woodland Terrace, an assisted living facility in Cary where a resident tested positive for coronavirus, has begun making changes to help prevent spread. A message sent from the executive director said, "After thoughtful review, we have come to the decision that we must institute restrictions for all visitors, effective immediately."

                                        The only exceptions include 'compassionate' visits in the instance of end-of-life and individuals directly providing essential health services.

                                        "Visitor restrictions prohibit family, friends, clergy, salon and other personal service providers, private duty aides, entertainers and all other individuals deemed 'non-essential,'" said the message. They encouraged 'virtual visits.'

                                        9:00 a.m.: The latest poll from SurveyUSA said that 71% of Americans believe the worst is yet to come, up from 64% last week. Today, 1 in 5 Americans say their world has been 'turned upside down' by coronavirus, up from 1 in 11 last week.

                                        8:30 a.m.: Granville County reported their first case of coronavirus.

                                        7:30 a.m.: Governor Roy Cooper sent out a tweet thanking those on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic, including healthcare workers, child care providers, grocery store employees and delivery drivers.

                                        7:00 a.m.: One of the latest Wake County coronavirus cases is a resident at an assisted living facility in Cary called Woodland Terrace. The resident is in isolation.

                                        Woodland Terrace has assigned staff to work either in the independent living or the assisted living/memory care sections of the community to keep the virus from spreading. Meals will be delivered to residents, who have been encouraged to self-isolate.

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