Coronavirus local updates: CMPD to enforce Cooper’s executive order for worship services

Nearly 4.3 million people worldwide -- including more than 1.4 million people in the United States – have been infected with the new coronavirus, and the number of deaths from the outbreak continues to rise. Officials are attempting to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. as hospitals manage unprecedented patient surges.

>> Scroll below for live, local real-time minute-by-minute updates

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Mecklenburg County: (3:30 p.m.)

North Carolina Task Force: (3 p.m.)

South Carolina Task Force (TBA)

White House Task Force: (TBA)

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>> Here are the latest updates about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in North Carolina and South Carolina. Scroll below for real-time updates.

• The number of cases across North Carolina reached 16,507 Thursday. North Carolina is now reporting 615 deaths, 219,268 completed tests and 507 people currently in the hospital.
• Gov. Roy Cooper and the state’s coronavirus task force announced a statewide stay-at-home order which is currently in effect.
• Gov. Henry McMaster lifted the home or work order in South Carolina on May 1.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking cases in the United States here.

Important Links:

• CDC: Tracking Cases in the U.S. here
• NC Dept. of Health & Human Services
• WSOC Special Section: Tracking Coronavirus
• WHO: Advice for the Public
• WHO: Q&A

Live, local updates from Thursday:

9:48 p.m.

9:23 p.m.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety announced that all 21,000 employees in the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice can get tested for the coronavirus for free starting May 18, according to our ABC affiliate WTVD.

Anyone who works for state prisons, community correction centers or juvenile justice can get tested at several FastMed Urgent Care locations around North Carolina

“The continued health and safety of our dedicated staff are our priorities as they bravely carry out our public safety mission through this pandemic,” said ACJJ Chief Deputy Secretary Tim Moose in a written statement. “We have been committed and actively engaged to offer COVID-19 tests to all of our staff within Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice. I appreciate our staff and partners - FastMed Urgent Care, LabCorp, DHHS, and the State Health Plan - who worked so hard to make this happen.”

7:18 p.m.

Mecklenburg County said the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will enforce Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order regarding worship services and mass gathering protests.

Under Phase 1 of Cooper’s reopening plan, churches are allowed to hold outdoor services while following social distancing guidelines.

Indoor services and weddings are allowed for gatherings of ten people or fewer.

The order said in situations where it is not possible to conduct worship service outside or online, the 10-person limit does not apply.

For additional information on the executive order, click here.

4:36 p.m.

Mecklenburg County is reporting 59 additional positive coronavirus cases. This brings the total cases to 2,342.

4:45 p.m.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced 172 new cases of COVID-19 and nine additional deaths.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in South Carolina to 8,189 and those who have died to 371.

Officials said five of those deaths were elderly people from Fairfield (2), Greenwood (1), Laurens (1), and Lexington (1) counties, and four of the deaths were middle-aged people from Clarendon (2), Pickens (1) and Richland (1) counties.

4:40 p.m.

NASCAR announces second installment of events in return to racing schedule

“As we prepare for our return to racing at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, the industry has been diligent in building the return-to-racing schedule,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “We are eager to expand our schedule while continuing to work closely with the local governments in each of the areas we will visit. We thank the many government officials for their guidance, as we share the same goal in our return – the safety for our competitors and the communities in which we race

4:30 p.m.

Caldwell County stands at 75 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Six positive COVID-19 cases were reported today — one in the 28645 Zip code and five in 28630. The case count is cumulative, and cases are reported in the county where patients reside. Outbreaks in neighboring counties have directly impacted the number of cases in Caldwell County.

Laboratory-Confirmed Cases - 75

Recovered Patients - 33

Deaths - 1

Completed Tests - 2094

Negative Tests - 1824

3:50 p.m.

Tyson Foods poultry plant in Wilkesboro to temporarily limit operations after outbreak

The health and safety of our team members, their families and communities is our top priority, and we continue to take all precautions to protect them.

As a result, Tyson has made the voluntary decision to temporarily limit operations at our Wilkesboro, N.C. poultry processing facility today to carry out additional deep cleaning due to a combination of positive COVID-19 cases and team member absences related to quarantine and other factors.

The company has been working closely with local health officials and has completed COVID-19 testing plant team members and contractors. Tyson will share verified test results with health and government officials, team members and other stakeholders once complete data is available as part of our efforts to help communities where we operate better understand the coronavirus and the protective measures that can be taken to help prevent its spread.

When operations resume, team members at Tyson’s Wilkesboro facility will have access to additional testing, daily clinical symptom screenings, nurse practitioners and enhanced education. These programs are in addition to a host of protective measures Tyson has put in place that meet or exceed CDC and OSHA guidance for preventing COVID-19.

Tyson has put in place enhanced safety precautions and installed protective social distancing measures throughout our plants, including in the Wilkesboro facility, and taken steps to support our team members at this time, including:

· Wellness health screening of all team members each time they arrive at the facility, checking for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath in addition to continuing use of the infrared thermometers to check temperature.

· The supply of protective facial coverings to every team member and requiring they are worn.

· The use of face shields for team members where workstation barriers cannot physically be implemented.

· Additional dedicated social distance monitors stationed throughout the facility during all shifts to help ensure team members adhere to safety protocols and social distancing requirements.

· Increased short-term disability coverage to 90% of normal pay until June 30 to encourage team members to stay home when they are sick

· Doubled our “thank you” bonus for frontline workers to $120 million. Team members who cannot come to work because of illness or childcare issues related to COVID-19 will continue to qualify.

3:30 p.m.

Mecklenburg County leaders briefed the public on the county’s latest response to COVID-19.

County Manager Dena Diorio says the county is recommending people wear a face covering anytime you leave your home and when social distancing isn’t possible. This is not a mandate though.

Diorio says the county is starting to work on guidance for gyms, indoor dining and houses of worship. She says the plan will be ready for when we enter Phase 2.

Battalion Chief Robert Graham says emergency management is actively preparing for the 2020 Republican National Convention in a COVID-19 environment.

“All indications are we will hold the RNC,” CMPD Deputy Chief Jeff Estes said.

Estes says up to this point the department is very pleased with the public’s response to the pandemic.

Health Director Gibbie Harris says 2,342 residents have tested positive to date. She says there is an uptick in daily case counts due to an increase of testing. She says our trends at this point are stable.

Harris says there is no data to support we have peaked in Mecklenburg County. She says we have not seen a rapid acceleration to a peak because the stay at home order has been effective.

She said there is potential in the future for testing at retail sites.

“This reopening that is happening across our state and across our country is not a get out of jail card. We continue to be susceptible to this virus,” Harris said.

Leaders believe at this point the county will be ready to enter Phase 2 next week.

Harris says the county is being very careful with antibody tests. She says people need to be conscious about where they are receiving them and whether they have been approved by the FDA.

She says trends are a better indicator than model projections when making decisions to reopen.

Diorio says she is hopeful guidance and toolkits for Phase 2 businesses will be ready prior to May 22.

On the White House report that said that the Charlotte area was a region to watch, Harris says the county has not been given the data used to make those determinations.

Harris says apartment complexes are not allowed to open their common areas and fitness centers. She says people can call 311 if they are concerned a complex is opening them up.

She says Mecklenburg County has not seen a significant impact from South Carolina opening up sooner than North Carolina and it’s unreasonable to think our county can’t open up some.

3 p.m.

North Carolina’s Key COVID-19 Indicators Remain Stable: Phase 1 remains in effect, more time needed to watch key indicators

Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy K. Cohen said the state is in the strongest position possible to be in Phase 1.

She said we did not have a peak of cases in North Carolina -- instead cases have been decreasing or leveling.

According to Cohen, leaders are still looking at a combination of the following trends:

• People coming to the ER with COVID-like symptoms
• New confirmed cases in North Carolina
• The number of positive tests as a percentage of total tests
• The number of hospitalizations

She said the state looks stable in each metric.

Here is a breakdown of where North Carolina stands as of Thursday:

1. People coming to the ER with COVID-like symptoms is decreasing
2. New confirmed cases in North Carolina have increased with 691 new cases -- the largest single-day increase
3. The number of positive tests as a percentage of total tests is going down and starting to level
4. The number of hospitalizations is level

In addition to these metrics, the state continues building capacity to be able to adequately respond to an increase in virus spread. These areas include:

Laboratory Testing

• North Carolina has doubled the daily testing rate from approximately 2,500-3,000 to more than 6,000

Tracing Capability

• The Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative has already hired close to 100 new contact tracers adding to the 250 already working at our local health departments.

Personal Protective Equipment

• Supply chains continue to improve with the exception of gowns.

Leaders urged residents to stay home, but if you do go out, then they ask that you use 3 W’s -- Wearing a face masks, waiting 6 feet apart and washing hands for at least 20 seconds.

The governor said if metrics remain stable then the state can move into Phase 2 next week. According to Cohen, if we enter Phase 2 then it is possible pools will be able to reopen with restrictions.

Cooper’s remarks:

North Carolina is making progress in our fight against COVID-19. We’re currently in Phase 1. It’s a careful, cautious first step. It’s important to remember that this virus is still a threat. We know COVID-19 is circulating in our state, and we don’t yet have a vaccine or a cure.

A key factor in our readiness to move to Phase 2 is testing. Statewide, we’ve doubled the number of tests in recent weeks, which is good, but we need to do more. Testing has to be widely available at low cost or free if we’re going to keep people safe & reignite our economy.

Our state has a number of testing sites across the state that are up and running to help meet this goal and some of them are free to the person getting tested. Today, @ncdhhs has identified these locations at covid19.ncdhhs.gov to help people know where they can get tested.

Those testing sites include doctor’s office’s, local health clinics, hospitals, retail pharmacies and other sites. We hope to add more locations every week.

We are also deploying more protective gear to arm our frontline workers. For example, our emergency management is sending personal protective equipment to every one of the 3800 long-term care facilities in the state.

We are increasing testing and tracing. And the supply chain of protective equipment has improved since this outbreak started, thanks in part to many North Carolina-based companies and the hard work of @NCEmergency and @ncdhhs.

Phase 1, which still includes a modified Stay at Home order, is in place through Friday, May 22. Our COVID-19 decisions are guided by the data & science. We’ll use the time in this phase to keep a careful eye on the indicators before we are ready to announce the start of Phase 2.

Let me talk a minute about faith. Our faith can sometimes mean even more to us during a time of crisis. I’m a church elder and was a Sunday school teacher for more than 20 years. I’m so grateful for my church family. There’s a real sense of belonging and a sense of community.

When we physically gather together, shake hands, hug, sing, preach, take communion, we bond in our faith. I’ve really missed that, as have millions of North Carolinians.

One fundamental tenet of faith is to care for and love one another. When doing these things together, sitting or standing indoors for more than 10 minutes, we greatly increase the chances of passing to each other a virus that can be deadly.

Ask any of the congregations who have experienced outbreaks and deaths due to this virus. And I appreciate the many houses of worship that have transitioned to doing outdoor or virtual services in order to keep their members safe.

Regardless of executive orders, I would urge every congregation to pause and consider whether indoor services are the right thing to do right now for their members. We must care for and show love to one another.

We need North Carolinians to keep doing what they know protects them from this pandemic. Stay at home when you can. Telework if possible. Practice the three Ws if you are out – wear a face covering, wash your hands, wait 6 feet apart from other people.

I know it’s difficult. People are making sacrifices on every front to help keep this virus under control. I see those sacrifices and I appreciate them. We can only beat COVID-19 if we work together to do our part.

Cooper also says a regional reopening approach is still under discussion.

The stay-at-home order remains in effect until 5 p.m. on May 22, but the end of the order does not mean the state will move to next phase.

1:45 p.m.

Berger Calls on Cooper to Allow Counties to Reopen Restaurants

After calling yesterday for county flexibility to reopen hair salons and barber shops, Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) today called on Gov. Roy Cooper to grant counties local flexibility to reopen restaurants at reduced capacity, especially for outdoor seating areas. These two steps alone could help thousands of North Carolinians who are now going broke to get back on their feet.

Twenty-three states, including the majority of states in the Southeast, have reopened restaurants in some capacity, and three more have announced reopenings in the next few days.

Restaurant owners and employees are primarily small businesses, and Gov. Cooper's executive orders have prohibited them from earning a living. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of unemployment applications are still unpaid by the Cooper Administration. Restaurant employees and owners can't pay rent or buy groceries with no income and months-long unemployment assistance delays. Across the state, restaurants are announcing permanent closures because of the restrictions put in place by Gov. Cooper.

Sen. Berger said, "Other states, including the majority of those in the Southeast, have reviewed the same science, facts, and data as Gov. Cooper has, and reached a different conclusion on reopening restaurants. Gov. Cooper has not articulated his administration's overarching goal or strategy. Why is he making different decisions based on the same information?"

Sen. Rick Gunn (R-Alamance) said, "It's time to follow the lead of the majority of states in our region by reopening restaurants. Counties should also consider opening some streets to pedestrian-only traffic to allow for expanded outdoor dining options. Gov. Cooper has prohibited restaurant owners and employees from working while at the same time failing to provide them with the unemployment benefits they're due. This can't go on."

Half the counties in North Carolina comprise less than 10% of confirmed cases. Counties should be permitted to reopen restaurants, especially outdoor seating areas, provided they adhere to common-sense public health rules similar to those in other states. Some of those rules include:

• Avoiding crowded entryways by requiring diners to wait outdoors or encouraging restaurants to provide reservation-only service;
• Requiring disposable menus;
• Not permitting entry to customers or employees with COVID-like symptoms;
• Implementing social distancing rules, including spacing tables at least eight feet apart;
• Requiring enhanced sanitization rules, especially for tables;
• Restricting the maximum capacity and the number of diners permitted at a single table.

1:10 p.m.

U.S. Department of Labor Provides Guidance on Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program to States

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has announced the publication of updated guidance, including FAQs, regarding the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Section 2107 of the CARES Act creates a temporary federal PEUC program that provides up to 13 additional weeks of benefits to an individual who has exhausted their regular unemployment compensation and provides funding to states for the program’s administration.

“Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation has provided valuable relief to American workers facing long term unemployment and who have exhausted their regular benefits,” said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training John P. Pallasch. “The guidance issued today provides answers to questions the Department has received about PEUC and will allow states to more effectively administer this program.”

The cost of PEUC benefits is 100 percent federally funded. States may not charge employers for any PEUC benefits paid. Implementation costs and ongoing administrative costs are also 100 percent federally funded.

For further information about the coronavirus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

12:50 p.m.

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Alert to Keep Nursing Home and Long-Term Care Facility Workers Safe During Coronavirus Pandemic

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an alert listing safety tips employers can follow to help protect nursing home and long-term care facility workers from exposure to the coronavirus.

Safety measures employers can implement to protect workers in the nursing home and long-term care industry include:

• Screen workers and residents regularly for signs and symptoms consistent with the coronavirus. Send sick workers home or to seek medical care;
• Closely monitor and take additional precautions regarding employees and residents who may have been exposed to an individual with the coronavirus;
• Ask visitors to inform the facility if they develop a fever or symptoms consistent with the coronavirus within 14 days of their visit;
• Maintain at least 6 feet between workers, residents, and visitors to the extent possible, including while workers perform their duties and during breaks;
• Stagger break periods to avoid crowding in breakrooms;
• Consider alternatives to in-person large group gatherings (e.g., staff meetings, resident activities);
• Continually monitor personal protective equipment (PPE) stocks, burn rate, and supply chains. Develop a process to decontaminate and reuse PPE, such as face shields and goggles, as appropriate. Follow CDC recommendations for optimization of PPE supplies; and encourage workers to report any safety and health concerns.

11 a.m.

NCDHHS has released updated data on COVID-19 for the state:

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting 16,507 cases of COVID-19 in 99 counties. That is up 691 from Wednesday. Avery County is the only county in North Carolina to not see any cases of coronavirus so far.

There have been 18 new deaths attributed to COVID-19 since Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 615.

NCDHHS reported that 507 people remain hospitalized and 219,268 tests have been completed.

The state reported 8,811 total tests were done in the past 24 hours, exceeding the benchmark to test between 5,000 and 7,000 people every day.

Mecklenburg County continues to lead the state in both cases and deaths with 2,320 and 62 respectively. Sixteen percent -- or 116 -- new cases are from Mecklenburg County.

Confirmed cases by age:

0-17 (4%)

18-24 (8%)

25-49 (43%)

50-64 (25%)

65 or older (20%)

COVID-19 deaths by age:

25-49 (3%)

50-64 (12%)

65 or older (85%)

Cases by race:

White: 53%

Black: 34%

Cases by gender:

Women: 50%

Men: 48%

(Men account for 53% of deaths)

Cases and deaths in congregate living settings:

There have been 71 outbreaks in nursing homes across the state, resulting in 2,320 cases and 318 deaths (Anson, Burke (2); Cabarrus (2); Cleveland(2); Iredell; Mecklenburg (7); Rowan (4); Union (2))

There have been 25 outbreaks at residential care facilities across the state, resulting in 423 cases and 47 deaths (Cabarrus (2); Mecklenburg (6); Stanly; Union).

HOW ARE WE DOING?

As the state looks to go through the phases of reopening, officials are looking to meet certain benchmarks. Here’s how we’re doing on some of those:

Decrease in confirmed cases? After days of lower numbers, today was the highest daily increase of the number of reported cases.

Decrease in percent of positive tests? Level. Around 7 percent.

Hospitalizations decreasing? The trends chart from NCDHHS shows this is about level.

Testing capacity? The state met its goal in the last 24 hours with 8,811 tests.

Contract tracers? Have not met this goal. The state still only has 250 and is working to double this workforce to 500.

PPE Supplies? The state does not have enough gowns to handle 30 days, however, the state now reports it does have enough N-95 masks.

10 a.m.

Knights-Themed Masks Now Available to Help Raise Money for “Knights Care 4 CLT” Fund

On April 15, the Charlotte Knights and Charlotte Knights Charities announced the formation of “Knights Care 4 CLT”, an effort to assist those affected by COVID-19.

Today, the team is pleased to announce that Knights-themed masks are now available for purchase with 100% of the proceeds going to the “Knights Care 4 CLT” fund.

The masks are $10 each or 4 for $30 and come in four colors. For more information, or to purchase online in the Charlotte Knights Team Store, please follow this link below: https://knights.milbstore.com/collections/new-arrivals/products/face-mask.

For more details on the “Knights Care 4 CLT” fund, please visit this link: https://www.milb.com/charlotte-knights/news/knights-care-4-clt-effort-launched-to-assist-those-affected-by-covid-19.

8:30 a.m.

Nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as the viral outbreak led more companies to slash jobs even though most states have begun to let some businesses reopen under certain restrictions.

Roughly 36 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the two months since the coronavirus first forced millions of businesses to close their doors and shrink their workforces, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Still, the number of first-time applications has now declined for six straight weeks, suggesting that a dwindling number of companies are reducing their payrolls.

By historical standards, though, the latest tally shows that the number of weekly jobless claims remains enormous, reflecting an economy that is sinking into a severe downturn. Last week’s pace of new applications for aid is still four times the record high that prevailed before the coronavirus struck hard in March.

Jobless workers in some states are still reporting difficulty applying for or receiving benefits. These include free-lance, gig and self-employed workers, who became newly eligible for jobless aid this year.

The states that are now easing lockdowns are doing so in varied ways. Ohio has permitted warehouses, most offices, factories, and construction companies to reopen, but restaurants and bars remain closed for indoor sit-down service.

A handful of states have gone further, including Georgia, which has opened barbershops, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors and gyms. South Carolina has reopened beach hotels, and Texas has reopened shopping malls.

Data from private firms suggest that some previously laid-off workers have started to return to small businesses in those states, though the number of applications for unemployment benefits remains high.

The latest jobless claims follow a devastating jobs report last week. The government said the unemployment rate soared to 14.7% in April, the highest rate since the Great Depression, and employers shed a stunning 20.5 million jobs. A decade’s worth of job growth was wiped out in a single month.

Even those figures failed to capture the full scale of the damage. The government said many workers in April were counted as employed but absent from work but should have been counted as temporarily unemployed.

Millions of other laid-off workers didn’t look for a new job in April, likely discouraged by their prospects in a mostly shuttered economy, and weren’t included, either. If all those people had been counted as unemployed, the jobless rate would have reached nearly 24%.

Most economists have forecast that the official unemployment rate could hit 18% or higher in May before potentially declining by summer.

The job market’s collapse has occurred with dizzying speed. As recently as February, the unemployment rate was 3.5%, a half-century low. Employers had added jobs for a record 9 1/2 years. Even in March, unemployment was just 4.4%.

Now, with few Americans shopping, traveling, eating out or otherwise spending normally, economists are projecting that the gross domestic product -- the broadest gauge of economic activity -- is shrinking in the April-June quarter at a roughly 40% annual rate. That would be the deepest quarterly contraction on record.

Few analysts expect a quick rebound. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Wednesday that the virus-induced recession could turn into a prolonged downturn that would erode workers' skills and employment connections while bankrupting many small businesses.

Powell urged Congress and the White House to consider additional spending and tax measures to help small businesses and households avoid bankruptcy.

Powell spoke a day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, proposed a $3 trillion aid package that would direct money to state and local governments, households and health-care workers. Trump administration officials have countered that they want to first see how previous federal aid packages affect the economy. And Republican leaders in Congress have expressed skepticism about approving significant more spending right now.

Trump is applauding the moves to reopen states’ economies in hopes of reducing unemployment. So far, there is limited evidence on how that is working.

Homebase, a software company that provides time-clock technology to small businesses, has tracked how many employees have clocked in and for how many hours since the pandemic struck. Though Homebase's data suggests that some people have returned to work in states that have partially reopened, it's unclear how sustainable that trend can be unless many more customers return. All states remain far below their pre-virus employment levels.

In Georgia, which began reopening in late April, the number of people working at small businesses on Tuesday was down 37% compared with the beginning of March, according to Homebase’s data. That is an improvement from mid-April, when the number of employees working had fallen by half.

6:30 a.m.

NC sheriff won’t enforce limit on church attendance

A sheriff in North Carolina says his department won’t enforce state guidelines limiting church attendance during the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnston County Sheriff Steve Blizell said in a letter Wednesday that the state’s 10-person limit on church services was unfair and morally wrong while retailers are continuing to operate with social-distancing guidelines.

Blizell has been part of the executive committee of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association that asked Gov. Roy Cooper to allow indoor church services last week.

Cooper said Tuesday that it is more likely people will transmit the virus when they are sitting or standing in one place for a long time.

6:15 a.m.

THURSDAY MORNING STORYLINES

We want to make sure you know about the top three headlines affecting your money, health and livelihood, and this morning we start with a way that many are getting help feeding their family.

In Union County Thursday morning, there will be a mobile food pantry, this time in Indian Trail. From 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Common Heart will offer a mobile food pantry outside the Food Lion on Highway 74. All you’ll need to do is pull up and volunteers will load your car for you.

This morning, we'll get a look at how many more Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. Experts think we could see a slight drop compared to previous weeks, but it's still expected to be millions of people.

We’ll also get a closer look at the vital work contact tracers are doing in the Carolinas. Hundreds of them are dedicated to spending hours each day stopping the spread of COVID-19. North Carolina has about 250 contact tracers on staff and is about to hire 250 more. State health officials say 4,000 people have applied. Mecklenburg County has 75 people trained and ready.

In South Carolina, 400 contact tracers are already on staff and the state has retained 1,400 more through private companies.

A conservative activist group planning to file a lawsuit to pressure Gov. Roy Cooper into allowing churches to services indoors during the pandemic. Return America is holding a rally and news conference Thursday morning in front of the North Carolina General Assembly. The group believes pastors and congregations across the state are being denied their ability to assemble.

Gov. Cooper will hold a media briefing Thursday at 3 p.m.

10:10 p.m. (Wednesday)

The FBI served a search warrant Wednesday on U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-NC., according to the L.A. Times.

CLICK HERE for more on this investigation.

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