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Coronavirus local updates: Trump signs executive order requiring meat processing plants to stay open

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than 3 million people worldwide -- including nearly 988,000 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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***Possible news conferences scheduled for today***

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Mecklenburg County: (TBA)

North Carolina Task Force: (2 p.m.)

South Carolina Task Force (TBA)

White House Task Force: (TBA)

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>> 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.

[CLICK HERE FOR TODAY’S NATIONAL UPDATES]

[COUNTY-BY-COUNTY COVID-19 RESOURCE GUIDE]

[CORONAVIRUS IN THE CAROLINAS; HERE’S HOW TO STAY INFORMED]

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[FAQ: N.C. Gov. Cooper’s Stay-at-Home Order]

[FAQ: S.C. Gov. McMaster’s Work-or-Home Order]

[Everything you need to know about the stimulus payments, unemployment]

[Food banks, soup kitchens helping people affected by COVID-19 outbreak]

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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 9,568 Tuesday. North Carolina is now reporting 342 deaths, 112,752 completed tests and 463 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 has ordered a home or work order in South Carolina.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking cases in the United States here.

Important Links:

Live, local updates from Tuesday:

11 p.m.:

Prison officials said Butner inmate William Walker Minto, 73, died April 28, affiliate WTVD reported.

Walker had tested positive for COVID-19 after going into respiratory failure on April 15.Minto had long-term pre-existing medical conditions and had been in custody at the FCI Butner I adjacent minimum security satellite camp since Oct. 11, 2019.

9:22 p.m.

President Donald Trump took executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation's food supply.

The order uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves. Unions fired back, saying the White House was jeopardizing lives and prioritizing cold cuts over workers’ health.

More than 20 meatpacking plants have closed temporarily under pressure from local authorities and their own workers because of the virus, including two of the nation’s largest, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota. Others have slowed production as workers have fallen ill or stayed home to avoid getting sick.

8:15 p.m.

It’s been more than a week since South Carolina beach towns were allowed to begin opening back up, but some are still opting to stay shuttered due to concerns amid the coronavirus outbreak.

On Tuesday, officials on Sullivan’s Island voted to keep police checkpoints restricting non-residents from accessing the beach in place for another two weeks.

A day earlier, Folly Beach City Council members voted to keep public access restrictions to the beach near Charleston in place until May 6, with plans to discuss the issue again later this week and “allow more data and study."

6:20 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced a $16,572,122 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for local housing authorities across North Carolina in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

5:30 p.m.

SCDHEC today announced 123 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, and 15 additional deaths were reported to DHEC.

This brings the total number of people confirmed to have COVID-19 in South Carolina to 5,735 and those who have died to 192.

CLICK HERE to read more.

5 p.m.

At least 190 of the 342 deaths related to COVID-19 in North Carolina have been linked to nursing homes and residential care facilities across the state.

Monday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released a full list of all nursing homes with ongoing outbreaks.

Currently, the most deadly outbreak is at Louisburg Healthcare and Rehab Center in Franklin County. At least 62 cases and 18 deaths have been linked to the nursing home.

4:15 p.m.

1,528 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County. About half have been released from isolation, according to Health Director Gibbie Harris.

45 people have died.

4:05 p.m.

Update from Mecklenburg County leaders as they announce easing of restrictions

Mecklenburg County is rescinding its stay-at-home order and will now align with the governor’s order. Some restrictions are being loosened as a result. County Manager Dena Diorio says the county’s stay-at-home order will be lifted tomorrow.

Diorio says this was a consensus decision between the city, county, and six towns. It will still need to be signed.

Car dealerships, vape shops, realtors, funerals, lawn care, craft, hobby, furniture and mattress stores can open. Tennis courts can reopen. Auto body shops, carpet cleaners, pet groomers can reopen. Retailers like sporting goods stores can do curbside pickup.

“We think the data we have, in terms of cases and hospital capacity, it is time for us to loosen restrictions and align with the governor’s order,” Diorio said.

She also said Joe Gibbs Racing, the only racing team based in Mecklenburg County, is allowed back into their shop to get ready for the Coca-Cola 600.

The county’s restrictions were stricter than the state. Now Mecklenburg County residents will be able to do everything their neighbors in Union, Cabarrus, Rowan etc. are able to do.

Visits to the emergency room for auto accidents and suicide attempts are down, according to Health Director Gibbie Harris. Visits related to strokes are down. Visits to the emergency room for violence are stable.

There has been a spike to poison control for calls about disinfectants since the stay-at-home order was put into place, Harris says. She says this could be from kids getting into things they shouldn’t get into.

Eleven long-term care facilities now have outbreaks. Asbury Health and Rehab Center has two cases. FEMA is providing seven days’ worth of PPE to these types of facilities.

Harris says the county is averaging 600-700 tests a day (Atrium and Novant). She says testing is improving. Tests are still focused on high-risk populations and first responders. This may be expanded in a couple of weeks.

Access to testing supplies is the challenge right now, according to Harris. As more workers come back into the workforce, the county will need more testing available.

Diorio says at this time, the hospitals still do not need a field hospital. The hospitals are not even into their surge capacity yet with cases.

>> Reporters Joe Bruno and DaShawn Brown will break down exactly what this means for you on Eyewitness News at 5 p.m.

3:25 p.m.

Eastland development team to hold virtual community meeting as part of rezoning petition process

The City of Charlotte has rescheduled the community meeting for the rezoning of the former Eastland Mall site.

In accordance with local and state orders in place to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, the meeting will be held virtually. The meeting will include a prerecorded video presentation by the development team that gives an overview of the rezoning process. The virtual meeting will be available for viewing on the rezoning petition’s webpage, www.bit.ly/EastlandRezoning, by 5 p.m. Friday, May 1.

To ensure the public can provide feedback on the rezoning proposal, a comment and question period will be open from May 1 through May 12 at 5 p.m. Additionally, a live session in which the development team will answer questions is planned for May 13. Feedback will be included in the official community meeting report. More information about the full feedback process will be included in the video posted on Friday and in upcoming communication to the public.

Residents who expect they will be unable to access the virtual meeting are asked to email eastland@charlottenc.gov or call 704-353-1946 to make alternative arrangements for receiving the presentation information.

Holding a community meeting is a key step in the rezoning petition process. The development team communicates with residents, business owners and area property owners to help them understand the rezoning request, and seeks feedback on the project. Community meetings are required under North Carolina state law and the city’s zoning ordinance as part of the conditional rezoning process.

3:15 p.m.

Burke County is currently at 97 positive cases. The cases consist of both traveling and community spread. All positive cases are isolated and Public Health staff continues to investigate the cases and will be locating those close contacts to help contain the spread of the infection.

2:30 p.m.

Police tried to break up the ReOpenNC protest in Raleigh today, and at least three protesters were arrested.

The protesters arrived at about 11 a.m. They started at the North Carolina State Archives building and ended at the legislature’s building. The rally’s organizer, Ashley Smith, was arrested, and a man was reportedly arrested as well.

Protesters chanted "Reopen right now!” while walking through the downtown area of Raleigh for the third time since the coronavirus began. They carried signs with messages that read: “Protect the vulnerable, don’t quarantine the healthy” and “No new normal.”

Healthcare workers and experts counter-protested, saying they want North Carolina to remain closed right now.

2 p.m.

Update from Gov. Roy Cooper and members of the NC Coronavirus Task Force on the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’ve set out in detail the benchmarks we want to hit as we move toward the phases that will help spur the economy while keeping us safe. I invite you go to http://nc.gov/covid19 & visit the case count dashboard to see how we’re doing in our fight to slow this disease.

We’re seeing some leveling and hope to see more. We know what helps push down these numbers: social distancing, careful cleaning and staying home. If we keep working at these, we’ll get to where we need to be.

Last week, I told you about the budget proposal we made to the legislature. Today, the session starts & they’ll work on ways to direct federal dollars to help our state. If done right, we can get more testing, increased equipment, unemployment assistance, and other vital help.

We’re enacting our battle plan. Yesterday, NCDHHS signed a key partnership to advance our efforts to fight COVID-19. The Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative brings two trusted groups together that have long-standing experience in health care to bring on more contact tracers. Contact tracing is critical to our ability to safely ease restrictions. Think of it like detective work helping track down anyone who may have been exposed to a person who tests positive.

That’s an essential step to containing and isolating those who may carry the disease. The collaborative has already started recruiting for the 250 positions they will need to fill. Time is of the essence, and I appreciate their quick work to stand up this partnership.

I also want to thank another of our key partners today for their work – the NC National Guard. Without missing a beat, these 939 men and women that I have activated have been there when we need them. “Always Ready,” as their mission explains.

Yesterday the head of our National Guard General Todd Hunt and I had a call with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and we got to thank him for the tremendous partnership we have in our state, and for the essential work the National Guard is providing in food supply & logistics.

One of the National Guard’s first tasks is supporting warehouse logistics. They’ve conducted 242 missions, traveling over 45,000 miles to 77 counties delivering personal protective equipment to hospitals, medical sites and other facilities in need.

General Allen Boyette is leading our Food Supply Chain Work Group, which meets daily. They are ensuring our grocery stores remain stocked and our food supply remains strong. They’re also working with our food banks, delivering over 40,000 meals to school nutrition sites.

And we have Army and Air Guard medical personnel ready to assist in the event we need to use Sandhills Regional Medical Center as an overflow medical facility.

These are just some examples of the work of our National Guard. I am proud of them. I am grateful for them. And I can rest just a little bit easier knowing they are Always Ready when we need them.

As we enter another week of staying at home, I want to thank North Carolinians everywhere for following the restrictions. And I want to remind everyone that we can’t let our guard down just yet.

We’ve grabbed hold of the opportunity to save lives in North Carolina. We have done that together, through our own actions. We continue to plan for the days ahead when we ease restrictions and work our way back to a new normal. But for now, stick with it. We can do this. I know it’s hard, but it is saving lives. As one Charlotte teacher said she would virtually write in her students’ yearbooks, “Rise up. Move on. You can do it.” We can do this, North Carolina.

Cooper also said he believes “unless health conditions go downhill” the Coca-Cola 600 can run without fans on Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR has submitted a social distancing plan to the state.

1:50 p.m.

Per Coroner Lancaster County Karla Deese: Another COVID-19 positive Lancaster County resident is reported to have died. Preliminary information supports the decedent was transported from Lancaster County to a hospital in North Carolina and died on 04-27-2020.

1:15 p.m.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles was on ABC News “Pandemic” this afternoon and spoke about the nearly full flight from JFK to Charlotte Douglas, the Republican National Convention, communities of color outreach and the needs of Charlotte’s essential employees.

Some things she said while on the program:

“You may not know this but we have the 6th busiest airport in the country and yesterday we saw a flight from JFK to Charlotte without masks and without social distancing. We need that tourist and business travel but we first and foremost have to make sure that our citizens and residents are safe and well.

“First and foremost there are two things that are important. Charlotte has a contract with the National Republican Committee to host this convention but now that we have this pandemic virus going on, we also have a mandate to follow whatever the guidelines coming from our public health directors and from our governor’s office, so we’re going to hope to do both. But if there is the convention we will follow the emergency declaration because safety of people and wellness of people is the first and foremost thing that we have to deal with.

“You know, Charlotte is a “new south” city but we are still dealing with the vestiges of discrimination and segregation and what we’ve found is that people of color, our black and brown citizens and residents, aren’t able to access healthcare. So those chronic conditions are pushing them into being less well if they have this virus. And so we have got to deal with this. We need better access to healthcare. We need tele-medicine and communities that need it, so we’ve got work to do. And I hope that we’ll look at this long term and say what can we learn from this time and do better for our black and brown residents.

“We’re working really hard to keep the PPE equipment available for our first responders. Our emergency operations center has now been open for over 45 days and we are finding ourselves that we need a few things. We need testing equipment. We need to have protocols for nursing homes. We need to understand how we deal with tests that come up positive and develop quarantine methodology. If we could have a national presence and standard that would really help every major city in this country.”

11:30 a.m.

Activists who want the North Carolina government to rollback coronavirus safety regulations on businesses are taking to the streets again. ReOpen NC protesters plan to gather outside the General Assembly in Raleigh from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday.

It’s the third such protest in the last few weeks. Tuesday’s protest comes as state legislators return to work to debate a $1.4 billion emergency spending plan touted as a way to help small businesses and expand COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.

An administrator for the ReOpen NC Facebook page said she will be at Tuesday’s protest after finishing her 14-day COVID-19 quarantine. Audrey Whitlock said she tested positive for the virus but has since gotten better. When our sister station, WTVD, asked whether she attended any of the previous protests, she said “no comment."

Another administrator for the Facebook group told WTVD Whitlock was not there.

11 a.m.

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

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting 9,568 cases of COVID-19 in 96 counties. That is up 426 from Monday.

There have been 36 new deaths attributed to COVID-19 since Monday, bringing the state’s total to 342.

NCDHHS reported that 463 people remain hospitalized and 112,752 tests have been completed.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the number of emergency department visits for COVID-like illnesses continues to decline. However, the number of COVID-19 cases reported per day continues to increase, which is one of the metrics the health department would like to see decrease or level before reopening North Carolina.

Additionally, while the percentage of positive tests out of all tests decreased, the total tests reported for the last five days has not met the state’s goal of 5,000 to 7,000 tests daily. Tuesday, only 2,832 new tests were reported.

Mecklenburg County continues to lead the state in both cases and deaths with 1,519 and 43 respectively.

Confirmed cases by age:

0-17 (2%)

18-24 (7%)

25-49 (40%)

50-64 (27%)

65 or older (24%)

COVID-19 deaths by age:

25-49 (4%)

50-64 (10%)

65 or older (86%)

Cases by race:

White: 52%

Black: 39%

Cases by gender:

Women: 51%

Men: 48%

(Men account for 60% of deaths)

Cases and deaths in congregate living settings:

There have been 48 outbreaks in nursing homes across the state, resulting in 1,432 cases and 149 deaths (Burke (2); Cabarrus; Cleveland; Iredell; Mecklenburg (6); Rowan (3); Union (2)).

There have been 20 outbreaks at residential care facilities across the state, resulting in 285 cases and 31 deaths (Cabarrus (2); Mecklenburg (5); Stanly; Union).

10:40 a.m.

Another jump in unemployment claims brings the total number of COVID-19 related unemployment claims to 741,612, according to the North Carolina Department of Employment Services.

The DES said it has paid out $910,632,167 to 346,424 people since March 15.

On April 27, 32,613 new filers asked for assistance. That’s the third-highest single day request since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

10:10 a.m.

Duke University says it has confirmed the first known case of COVID-19 in a dog.

The positive test came from a study researchers at the university are doing to try and create a better understanding of the virus. The ultimate goal is to create better tests, treatments, and a vaccine for the new virus.

9:50 a.m.

The Kannapolis Farmers Market announced it will open for the first time this season on Thursday, May 7.

Officials said because of ongoing COVID-19 concerns, the Farmers Market has made changes to keep customers safe:

  • Vendors will wear masks and gloves
  • There will be a handwashing station available for public and vendor use
  • No samples
  • Vendors and customers will be asked to continue using social distancing guidelines

The market will be open every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the corner of Vance Avene and Dale Earnhardt Boulevard and it will continue through September.

9:30 a.m.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against UNCC, the UNC System and the Board of Governors of UNC for refunds related to switching to remote learning.

Similar lawsuits were also filed against UNC Wilmington, UNC Asheville and East Carolina University.

6:30 a.m.

Charlotte Pride says all in-person pride events scheduled for July and August have been canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Organizers say the decision was made to protect the safety, health and wellness of the community.

The cancellation affects both Charlotte Black Pride, which was originally scheduled for the second week of July, and the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade in August.

In lieu of those events, Charlotte Pride and Charlotte Black Pride are planning digital and online events.

Officials said in 2019, the weekend long Charlotte Pride Festival brought more than 200,000 visitors to the area and generated a total economic impact of $8.05 million.

The organization plans to host the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade again on Aug. 21-22, 2021. Charlotte Black Pride will plan to host the 2021 Charlotte Black Pride Week July 11-18, 2021.

10:30 p.m. (Monday)

9:30 p.m.

Correctional Enterprises has produced 148,000 washable cloth face masks. They have been distributed throughout the North Carolina prison system, so every staff member and every offender has at least one to use.

There were 20,000 donated to the Sheriffs' Association for distribution to the staff and offenders in the county jails. Additional face masks have been distributed to juvenile justice.

The face masks are produced at four state prisons and are produced by approximately 150 offenders. Three of the facilities in which the masks are produced: Tabor Correctional, Columbus Correctional and Scotland Correctional. A spokesman said he is working on identifying the fourth prison.