Coronavirus coverage in North Carolina, April 3, 2020: Five more deaths make Friday deadliest day for virus in NC

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

Posted 7:49 a.m. Apr 3, 2020 — Updated 1:37 p.m. Apr 6, 2020

RALEIGH, N.C. — Here are the latest updates on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in North Carolina and across the globe:

What you need to know:

At least 2,264 people in 92 North Carolina counties have tested positive for the coronavirus. Maps, data on the outbreak.
Thirty people have died in North Carolina, including a Montgomery County deputy and two out-of-state people who died while traveling in North Carolina. More than 250 people are in North Carolina hospitals.
A statewide stay-at-home order is in effect through April 30. Any local orders with tighter restrictions take precedence over the state order.

Coronavirus

Latest updates:

9 p.m.: Two more coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in Guilford County, and Brunswick, Davie and Henderson counties also reported deaths. Nine deaths were reported Friday statewide, bringing North Carolina's total to 30.

8:10 p.m.: An employee at the Research Triangle Post Office in Durham has tested positive for the new coronavirus, U.S. Postal Service officials said.

"We believe the risk is low for employees who work at the facility, but we have informed employees and will keep them apprised as new information and guidance becomes available," officials said in a statement.

6:30 p.m.: Confirmed cases of coronavirus in North Carolina have jumped 10 percent in less than 24 hours. The state passed the 2,000 mark on Thursday evening and was past 2,200 by Friday evening. Twenty-five people have died in the state of virus-related complications so far.

6:20 p.m.: The U.S. Department of Transportation is warning airlines that they need to provide prompt refunds to passengers when flights have been disrupted by pandemic-related restrictions.

"The department is receiving an increasing number of complaints and inquiries from ticketed passengers, including many with non-refundable tickets, who describe having been denied refunds for flights that were canceled or significantly delayed," the DOT said in a statement. "In many of these cases, the passengers stated that the carrier informed them that they would receive vouchers or credits for future travel. Because the COVID-19 public health emergency has had an unprecedented impact on air travel, DOT’s Aviation Enforcement Office will exercise its enforcement discretion and provide carriers with an opportunity to become compliant before taking further action."

6 p.m.: After Friday nights drawing, jackpots for the national Mega Millions lottery will be determined on a drawing-by-drawing basis, officials said. The change is due to slowing sales during the coronavirus outbreak.

The changes mean the game will not have a guaranteed starting jackpot or a guaranteed increase between drawings. Previously, the game had a guaranteed starting jackpot of $40 million and a guaranteed $5 million increase between drawings when a jackpot wasn't won. Now, the amount of both the starting jackpot and the increases between drawings will be based on ticket sales and interest rates.

The Powerball lottery game announced a similar move earlier.

5:55 p.m.: U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said the new CDC guidelines for wearing masks or other face coverings in public are based on evidence that people without symptoms of COVID-19 can spread the coronavirus. The CDC still says masks won't prevent someone from getting infected, he said, but they can stop people who feel fine but are actually infected from spreading the virus to others.

"This is about me protecting you and you protecting me," Adams said.

5:35 p.m.: President Donald Trump said he is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to prevent export of N95 masks under the Defense Production Act. He also said the Army Corps of Engineers is building field hospitals in several states to assist with a growing number of COVID-19 patients.

5:30 p.m.: President Donald Trump announced voluntary guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for people to wear face masks or scarves over their faces in public to limit the spread of coronavirus. He said he doesn't plan to follow the guidance.

5:25 p.m.: More than $3.5 billion in loans to small businesses have been processed on the first day of the Paycheck Protection Program, which is part of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package Congress approved last month to help the battered economy weather the pandemic.

5 p.m.: Cape Fear Valley Health will temporarily furlough about 350 employees for the next week, officials said. The Fayetteville-based hospital system furloughed another 300 staffers a week ago due to the temporary closing of some services and rescheduling of elective surgeries and procedures.

Inpatient occupancy at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center has dropped to 60 percent in the last week, officials said. Normally, the hospital stays at full occupancy year round. The health system’s other hospitals are also at low occupancy.

4:45 p.m.: Walmart officials said they plan to start limiting the number of people in the company's stores, while Target officials said they might do so as well.

Walmart Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dacona Smith said that, starting Saturday, no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet (roughly 20 percent of a store’s capacity) will be allowed inside. Access will be limited to one door at each store, and workers will count people as they enter. Once a store reaches its capacity, customers will be admitted inside on a “1-out-1-in” basis.

"While many of our customers have been following the advice of the medical community regarding social distancing and safety, we have been concerned to still see some behaviors in our stores that put undue risk on our people," Smith said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Target "will actively monitor and, when needed, limit the total number of people inside based on the store’s specific square footage," the company said in a statement.

"If metering is needed, a team member will help guests into a designated waiting area outside with social distancing markers, while others will guide guests inside the store and keep things moving quickly and conveniently," the company said.

4:35 p.m.: An employee of the Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill has tested positive for the coronavirus and is recovering at home, officials said. Staff who were potentially exposed to the virus were notified and are at quarantined at home. Residents who may have been in close contact were likewise notified, and the facility put in place procedures recommended by public health authorities for them to follow.

4:30 p.m.: Durham and Durham County have combined and tightened their stay-at-home orders. Gatherings are no limited to five people, down from 10 earlier, and all sports that involve sharing equipment, such as tennis balls, are banned. Fitness centers in subdivisions and apartment buildings must close, and farmers markets can operate by order pickup or delivery only.

4:15 p.m.: Franklin County officials are enacting a 9 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew, starting Sunday, to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The curfew will remain in effect as long as the statewide-stay-at-home order is in effect.

4:05 p.m.: The state Department of Transportation is reducing passenger rail service to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Starting Monday, Carolinian trains 79 and 80 will not operate until May 4. Piedmont trains 75 and 76 will run one daily roundtrip between Raleigh and Charlotte.

4 p.m.: Stocks closed lower on Wall Street after the latest grim reading on job losses due to the coronavirus outbreak spooked investors.

3:55 p.m.: Halifax County is enacting a 9 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew in the unincorporated areas of the County to minimize the spread of COVID-19, starting Friday. Roanoke Rapids has put a similar curfew in place.

3:25 p.m.: New Hanover County officials have closed all public and private boat ramps and marinas in the county to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Commercial fishing operations, governmental entities and maritime fuel operations are excluded from the order, which also doesn't apply to kayaks, paddleboards and other non-motorized craft.

3 p.m.: A new Duke University survey finds almost all North Carolinians were practicing social distancing by the end of March, but many were still engaging in behaviors that could spread coronavirus.

The survey, conducted March 29-31, asked 1,274 North Carolinians about their behavior in the previous week – before Gov. Roy Cooper’s statewide stay-at-home order took effect. Two-thirds of respondents said they made large changes to their routine due to the coronavirus. Nearly all respondents said they were keeping away from others when in public, but when asked about specific behaviors, a substantial proportion reported behavior that could spread the virus.

2:45 p.m.: Visit Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance say at least 66 conventions, meetings and group sporting events throughout Wake County canceled during the pandemic, totaling at least 84,000 attendees and resulting in more than $27.7 million in total lost economic impact. That's in addition to dozens of other events that have been canceled, officials said.

"These continue to be the hardest times ever for the local hospitality industry across Wake County and this country," Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in a statement.

Hotel occupancy rates in Wake County are down more than 60 percent from a year ago, and at least a dozen area hotels have closed temporarily. Twenty others now offer “Workday” rates for people looking for a private, quiet place to work remotely during the day, officials said.

2:35 p.m.: The state has paid about $10 million in unemployment benefits to about 41,000 people so far, according to Lockhart Taylor, who oversees the state Division of Employment Security. The people who got those first checks had filed for unemployment by March 20, he said.

2:30 p.m.: White House officials say anyone who will be in close proximity to President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence will be given a rapid test for the coronavirus, starting Friday.

2:25 p.m.: Three more people – one resident and two staffers – at Mount Olive Center, a nursing and rehabilitation facility in Mount Olive, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, Wayne County officials said. Another resident tested positive last week and remains hospitalized. All of the new cases are in isolation.

Mount Olive Center officials previously reported incorrect numbers, joining the number of people infected at their facility with those at other facilities.

2:20 p.m.: Gov. Roy Cooper said too many people in North Carolina aren't taking his stay-at-home order seriously, and he asked that businesses that can't regulate "social distancing" within their stores to limit the number of customers allowed inside at any one time. He also urged people to remain home during the first weekend the order is in place.

"This is not the time for beach trips or neighborhood cookouts," he said.

2:15 p.m.: The College Board has come up with a schedule for Advanced Placement tests that can be taken online at home. Exams will be given May 11–22, with makeup tests June 1–5. Each subject's exam will be taken on the same day at the same time, worldwide.

Most exams will have one or two free-response questions, and each question will be timed separately. Students will need to write and submit their responses within the allotted time for each question. For most subjects, the exams will be 45 minutes long, plus an additional five minutes for uploading.

2:10 p.m.: Johnston County Public Schools will temporarily suspend service at its 13 school food service sites and all meal delivery locations, started next Wednesday.

Students will receive multi-day meal bags on Tuesday, as well as information regarding food resources from other community partners.

"This difficult decision was made to protect the health and safety of the students, their families and our staff and to provide the school nutrition department time to replenish supplies and train staff on additional safety protocols," officials said in a statement. "After spring break, which ends April 17, all factors will be re-evaluated, and meal services may resume, if feasible."

2:05 p.m.: The Carolina Hurricanes are placing more than half of the team's staff on furlough through June 7. All furloughed employees will continue to receive health benefits, and the team make their premium payments during the furlough.

Furloughed workers who aren't eligible to collect 100 percent of their salaries via unemployment insurance will be provided a bonus by the organization after the furlough, officials said.

"The organization remains committed to taking care of our staff as well as possible given these unprecedented circumstances," President Don Waddell said in a statement. "We’ve created a solution that protects our employees from financial hardship, while also mitigating the losses suffered by the company during this shutdown."

2 p.m.: Gov. Roy Cooper said some North Carolina manufacturers are shifting their production lines to make needed medical supplies. The state has received only a third of its requested supplies from the strategic national stockpile, and officials have been told not to expect more, he said. Efforts to find supplies from other sources have been difficult, with states competing against one another to buy up limited supplies.

"There simply isn't enough to go around," Cooper said. "This pandemic is a war, and we need the armor to fight it."

1:30 p.m.: Wake Prevent! has temporarily changed the way it supports local families living in hotels during the pandemic. Starting Monday, families may be eligible for financial assistance to remain in place for up to 12 weeks if they already live in a hotel, have experienced a loss of income due to COVID-19 and have children who are younger than school-age or students enrolled in the Wake County Public School System or a local charter.

Wake County’s Housing and Community Revitalization Department usually aims to help people living in hotels find a more permanent place to live, but the priority has shifted during the coronavirus outbreak.

"It’s impossible to abide by the stay-at-home order when you do not have a home," Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes said in a statement. "Refocusing our housing efforts is not only the right thing to do by our most vulnerable families, but this is also in the public’s best interest in our common goal to keep everyone healthy and safe."

For more information about the program and to learn more about eligibility, families can call 919-856-5661 or email covid19.housing.hotelfamilies@wakegov.com.

1:20 p.m.: Bank of America received about 10,000 applications for small-business loans through the new Paycheck Protection Program within an hour Friday morning, CEO Brian Moynihan told CNBC.

1:15 p.m.: World Health Organization officials have cautioned that more young people are becoming critically ill and dying from the coronavirus that’s now spread to almost every country across the world, according to CNBC.

"We are seeing more and more younger individuals who are experiencing severe disease," Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said at a news briefing from the organization’s Geneva headquarters. "We’ve seen some data from a number of countries across Europe where people of younger age have died. Some of those individuals have had underlying conditions, but some have not."

1 p.m.: A Catawba County resident has died from coronavirus-related complications, according to county health officials.

12:25 p.m.: An elderly Johnston County resident with underlying health problems has become the 24th person to die in North Carolina of coronavirus-related complications.

12:20 p.m.: State Treasurer Dale Folwell has been released from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center after five days of treatment due to symptoms related to the COVID-19 virus, officials said.

Folwell was diagnosed with the virus last week, and he admitted himself to the hospital on Sunday after his cough became acute. At no time during his stay in the hospital was he on a ventilator or otherwise incapacitated, officials said.

12:10 p.m.: LabCorp officials say the Burlington-based company has performed approximately 350,000 coronavirus tests since March 5, and lab capacity has been ramped up to handle more than 30,000 tests per day. Even more capacity is expected in the coming weeks, provided the company has adequate supplies to conduct the tests.

LabCorp has approximately 80,000 tests pending results in its labs, but officials said that should drop by the end of the weekend. The company usually can deliver test results to patients in four to five days from the date of specimen pickup.

"We understand how disconcerting it is to not receive test results in a reasonable time frame, and unfortunately, due to the unprecedented demand we had when we started testing, this has been the experience for some people," officials said in a statement. "We are doing everything we can to improve these timeframes. We know there is more that needs to be done, and we’re committed to doing our part during this emergency health crisis."

12:05 p.m.: A Wilson County woman in her 60s, who had previous health conditions, has become the 23rd coronavirus-related death in the state.

11:50 a.m.: Chief Justice Cheri Beasley has postponed all court proceedings statewide until June 1. Any hearings that must be held can be conducted by remote audio and video.

"Judicial officials and court personnel statewide are going above and beyond to serve the public during this health emergency," Beasley said in a statement. "My No. 1 priority is to protect them and the public by limiting gatherings and foot traffic in our county courthouses, while making sure our courts stay available to serve the public."

Her order also allows the use of a sworn statement under penalty of perjury rather than notarization for court filings and oaths, allows the service of court documents by email and extends the deadline for payment of most fines and fees by 90 days, telling clerks of court not to report failures to pay court debt to the state Division of Motor Vehicles for possible license suspensions.

11:45 a.m.: A Guilford County resident has become the 20th North Carolinian and the 22nd person to die in the state from coronavirus-related complications. More than 2,100 people in 90 of North Carolina's 100 counties have been infected by the virus.

11 a.m.: Disney announced that it will furlough non-essential workers starting April 19. All impacted workers will remain Disney employees and maintain complete health benefits through the duration of the furlough period.

10:30 a.m.: Even the lottery is feeling financial strain from coronavirus. Soon, it will no longer offer a guaranteed starting jackpot but will base the jackpot on ticket sales.

The North Carolina Education Lottery announced a big update to the Powerball lottery game last week, reducing the starting jackpot to $20 million, as an annuity, and adding at least $2 million to the annuity prize between drawings. Those changes were scheduled to go into effect after the current jackpot was won.

However, lottery officials now say that, as more states and cities have asked residents to stay home, the Powerball game has not been able to keep up with its typical sales numbers, and additional games sales would be needed in order to fund comparable jackpot amounts.

As a result of decreased sales from stay-at-home orders due to coronavirus, Powerball announced that "under the new game rules, the starting jackpot and increases in the jackpot between drawings will be determined based on ticket sales and interest rates."

10 a.m.: There’s been a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in nursing homes and long-term care facilities in North Carolina. At last check, six facilities have been affected across the state, including Woodland Terrace and Sunrise of Raleigh in Wake County, PruittHealth - Carolina Point in Orange County, the Mount Olive Center in Wayne County, Village Green Health and Rehabilitation in Cumberland County and Pine Forest Rest Home in Northampton County.

Senior living facilities are now on high alert.

9:30 a.m.: A representative from Lowe's confirmed that an employee in its Apex store was confirmed to have COVID-19.

According to Lowe's officials, the employee last worked on Monday and has been quarantined and is receiving care. People who had worked closely with the employee over a period of time have been put on a paid leave.

Officials said the store remains open and has been extensively cleaned per CDC guidelines.

On Thursday, Lowe’s announced a temporary $2-an-hour wage increase for all full-time, part-time and seasonal workers for the month of April.

9 a.m.: The U.S. economy lost over 700,000 jobs in the past few weeks. Economists believe the U.S. will face a financial crisis greater than the one in 2008.

8:45 a.m.: Amazon is taking greater steps to protect warehouse workers, following weeks of public outcry and strikes. The company said it will begin supplying employees with face masks and providing temperature checks before allowing people into work.

8:30 a.m.: Wake Forest will suspend yard waste pick up, beginning Friday. As more people stuck at home spend time outside doing yard work, crews that pick up yard waste are seeing an increase in demand and said they are growing overwhelmed.

8 a.m.: UNC-Charlotte’s residence halls may become a field hospital for treating coronavirus patients. The school's chancellor said six residence halls may be needed to provide this service. According to the NBC station in Charlotte, logistics are already being worked out, and the field hospital could be functional in a matter of weeks. Mecklenburg County has over 500 cases of coronavirus.

7:30 a.m.: Lupus patients across the country are "unable to access hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, two medications that are used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis," according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

According to officials, both medications are being studied as potential treatments for COVID-19, and the increased demand has left many lupus and RA patients with fewer options to obtain the medications they need.

The Congressional Lupus Caucus has joined with the Congressional Arthritis Caucus in circulating a letter in the House of Representatives that urges the White House Coronavirus Task Force to address the challenges people with lupus and RA are facing in accessing these medications.

6:30 a.m.: With over 355,000 unemployment claims filed this week in North Carolina, the state unemployment office said they are processing about 20,000 jobless claims each day.

Nationwide, more than 6 million people filed unemployment claims last week, driving claims to nearly 10 million over a two week period. Some economists are saying that unemployment rates related to the pandemic could surpass the Great Depression.

6 a.m.: The shortage of masks for health care providers in a nationwide problem, but here in Triangle, universities are finding new and safe ways to make surgical masks and protective gear for medical workers.

North Carolina State University said they hope to produce up to 500,000 surgical masks per day to protect health care workers and first responders. Duke has produced over 8,000 masks so far, and said they hope to make 50,000 face shields.

5:45 a.m.: Spring Hope officials have decreed that only people ages 62 or older can shop at local supermarkets, discount stores or other stores selling groceries between 7 and 8 a.m. on weekdays. Police will be "monitoring and enforcing" the local order, meant to protect older residents from the coronavirus.

5:30 a.m.: The race begins to apply for small business loans. The government will start distributing loans to local businesses and freelancers today as part of the Paycheck Protection Program.

However, thousands of banks across the county have warned that they don't have enough rules to hand out those loans, and suggest 'utter chaos' could be pending. Banks said they will be flooded today as small business owners apply to receive a paycheck, which could be given to them as early as this afternoon. The check is meant to help them survive the next couple of months. It's all part of the $2 trillion dollar relief package signed into law last week.

'Apply quickly. It's expected to go very fast:' Small businesses race for lifeline loans when banks open Friday

North Carolina's Bankers Association said the program is really asking a lot of banks, and many banks aren't ready. Some banks like Chase said they may not be ready to start handing out the cash today because they're still waiting on guidance on how all of this will work.

Rick Smith said to apply fast if it's something that could help your business. "Apply quickly. Once this money is gone, there's no more. It's expected to go very fast. Get in, get early, get your paperwork early, cross your fingers and pray for the best."

Some businesses should consider checking with their financial advisors to determine whether taking out money from this loan is a wise decision and whether their business would benefit from taking on more debt in the long run.

5 a.m.: North Carolina has over 2,000 confirmed cases, with 533 in Mecklenburg County, 247 in Wake County and 161 in Durham County.

Community seeks to replace Durham schools meal distribution effort after employee tests positive for virus

4:30 a.m. Some Triangle families were forced to find a new food option after Durham Public Schools halted food distribution when an employee responsible for giving out food and instructional materials tested positive for COVID-19.

The employee had been distributing food at Bethesda Elementary School, which has been producing 400 to 500 meals for various feeding sites and serving about 100 meals directly each day.

Meals will be distributed as scheduled today, and a week's worth of student lunches will be handed out Monday at 13 schools before the system shuts down, officials said.

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