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Concerns grow as COVID-19 cases climb inside local nursing homes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than 30 nursing homes and 10 rest homes in North Carolina now have at least two cases of COVID-19, which is considered an outbreak.

Channel 9 continues to take calls from family members and staff members concerned about outbreaks inside these local facilities.

At the Social at Cotswold, 15 residents and one staff member have tested positive for the coronavirus.

>> Have questions about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the Carolinas? We have an entire section dedicated to coverage of the outbreak -- CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

“Is it possible to prevent a spread like this? Of course not. But are there certain things that a reasonable person could put in place to possibly prevent it? I think there probably is,” said attorney Brad Smith.

>>> In the video at the top of the page, Channel 9′s Mark Becker spoke to Smith about where the law stands with these nursing facilities battling outbreaks.

Social at Cotswold sent this statement to Channel 9:

“At Social at Cotswold, our highest priority remains the well-being of our residents and team members. We continue practicing an extremely diligent and aggressive approach to health. This involves rigorous and ongoing testing procedures and continuously updated policies to ensure the health and safety of our residents and team members. We have also implemented isolation protocol as one of the many best practices we are prioritizing for care. The Social at Cotswold continues to follow all protocol and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Mecklenburg County Health Department to help ensure the health and safety of everyone in our community.”