Cooper tours face-shield production line, discusses pandemic

Less than an hour after learning North Carolina had topped 4,000 new coronavirus cases on a single day for the first time, Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday that no decision has been made yet about tightening restrictions to limit the virus' spread.
Posted 11/20/2020, 12:53:00 AM Updated 11/20/2020, 1:10:34 AM

NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR LOCAL

NEWS.

>> THE NUMBERS GET LARGER AND

THE WARNINGS GET LOUDER.

NORTH CAROLINA REPORTED NEARLY

4300 NEW CASES OF COVID-19 IN

THE LAST 24 HOURS.

A NEW RECORD COMING ON THE SAME

DAY THE WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE

SAYS IT IS LAYING THE

GROUNDWORK FOR DISTRIBUTING A

VACCINE.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

I'M DEBRA MORGAN.

>> I'M DAVID CRABTREE.

TO SEE HOW QUICKLY THESE CASES

ARE SPREADING, LET'S TAKE A

LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE.

REMEMBER THIS?

IT TOOK US 81 DAYS TO GET TO

THE FIRST THOUSAND CASES IN THE

SINGLE DAY.

THEN IT JUMPED TO 2000 1/2 THAT

TIME, THEN WE SLOWED THE CURVE.

@131 DAYS TO REACH THE NEXT

MILESTONE, AND THEN THIS ONE

HAPPENED SO QUICKLY.

THE JUMP FROM 3000 CASES A DAY,

TO OUR FIRST WITH MORE THAN

4200 CASES, THAT HAPPENED IN

ONLY EIGHT DAYS.

THIS IS HOW FAST THE VIRUS IS

MOVING TODAY.

AND THAT'S WHY HEALTH OFFICIALS

WANT YOU TO BE SAFE.

LESS THAN AN HOUR AFTER TODAY'S

CASE COUNT WAS RELEASED, WRAL

NEWS ASKED GOVERNOR ROY COOPER

DIRECTLY, WHAT COMES NEXT?

JOE FISHER JOINS US LIVE WITH

THE GOVERNOR'S ANSWER.

JOE?

>> Reporter: DAVID, GOVERNOR

ROY COOPER TOLD ME TODAY THAT

NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE YET

ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO IMPOSE

NEW RESTRICTIONS, BUT HE SAID

HE IS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT

THE WISE RISE IN NEW CASES.

TODAY WE GOT A CHANCE TO TALK

TO HIM, WHERE THEY ARE MAKING

THESE FACE SHIELDS IN THE FIGHT

AGAINST COVID-19.

BRIGHTVIEW TECHNOLOGY SURVIVE

THE PANDEMIC BY TRANSITIONING

OPERATION TO MANUFACTURE MUCH-

NEEDED FACE SHIELDS, OTHER

BUSINESSES HAVE SHUT DOWN, AND

THOSE STILL STRUGGLING ARE NOW

WONDERING IF RISING COVID CASES

WILL LEAD GOVERNOR COOPER TO

REIMPOSE RESTRICTIONS.

>> WE ARE GOING TO ANALYZE ALL

OF THE POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL

STEPS THAT WE COULD TAKE, AND

WE KNOW THE ORDER EXPIRES

DECEMBER 4th, BUT IT'S POSSIBLE

THAT WE MIGHT DO SOMETHING

BEFORE THAT TIME.

>> Reporter: THE GOVERNOR,

TOURED HIS FACILITY SOON AFTER

LEARNING THE STATE SURPASSED

4000 CASES IN A SINGLE DAY.

A NEW RECORD, AND NEARLY 8% OF

TESTS ARE RETURNING POSITIVE,

HIGHER THAN THE STATES GOAL OF

5%.

>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT

WEEK UNTIL THANKSGIVING, DO YOU

EAT ENVISION HAVING TO COME OUT

AND TIGHTEN RESTRICTIONS?

>> WE WILL DO WHAT WE NEED TO

DO.

>> MANY STATES ARE ISSUING NEW

STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS AND FORCING

BUSINESSES TO CLOSE.

>> A LOT OF PEOPLE, ALTHOUGH

THERE IS CONTROVERSY, A LOT OF

PEOPLE ARE ACCEPTING THAT,

BECAUSE THEY ARE SEEING

HOSPITALS DRAINED AND PEOPLE

DYING.

>> Reporter: GOVERNOR COOPER

SAYS ALL OPTIONS ARE STILL ON

THE TABLE TO SLOW THE SPREAD IN

NORTH CAROLINA.

AND GOVERNOR COOPER IS

ENCOURAGING SMALLER AND SAFER

THANKSGIVING CELEBRATIONS.

THE CURRENT ORDER ONLY ALLOWS

FOR INDOOR GATHERINGS OF 10

PEOPLE OR LESS, AND WE HAVE

HEARD FROM HEALTH OFFICIALS WHO

HAVE SAID THAT THE SMALLER TYPE

OF GATHERINGS WITH FAMILY AND

FRIENDS HAVE BEEN A SIGNIFICANT

SOURCE OF COMMUNITY SPREAD.