Coronavirus Live Local Updates: CMS board decides to move spring break to March 23-27

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The U.S. has more than 1,000 cases and businesses, education, sports and more are being impacted as leaders continue to move to stricter measures to contain the coronavirus.

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency for North Carolina on Tuesday.

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster declared a State of Emergency for South Carolina on Friday.

President Trump has declared a national emergency Friday.

Health Officials announced Thursday two people in Mecklenburg County tested presumptive positive for coronavirus. The tests will be sent to the CDC for official positive confirmation.

Live local updates for Friday:

10:43 p.m.

Officials said a Wayne County resident has tested presumptively positive for COVID-19.

The person has been quarantined at home and proper protocols are being followed, according to officials.

At this time, there are 18 total cases in North Carolina.

10:28 p.m.

Health officials said they are investigating a ninth presumptive positive case of COVID-19 in Wake County.

Officials said this case is connected to other cases in the area.

According to officials, this person started showing symptoms on Feb. 24. They are going to develop a timeline of locations this person visited, seeking to determine if anyone was in close contact with them.

“We are working to quickly establish a timeline of their movements, so we can effectively identify places they visited and determine if anyone was at increased risk of exposure,” said Wake County’s medical director, Dr. Kim McDonald. “We will reach out to those who came in close contact with this person to assess their condition and take appropriate next steps.”

9:48 p.m.

Catholics of the Diocese of Charlotte are excused from attending Sunday Mass the weekend of March 14-15, according to officials with the Diocese of Charlotte.

9:05 p.m.

Cabarrus County officials announced it is canceling large gatherings through April 13.

The decision affects county departments such as active living and parks, the public library system, arena and events center, N.C. cooperative extension and the animal shelter.

7:41 p.m.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board members have decided to move spring break up to March 23-27 due to coronavirus concerns.

They also said March 19 and March 20 will become teacher workdays.

“As we have been dealing with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic there have been some difficult decisions we needed to make,” said Superintendent Earnest Winston. “Beginning, March 19 we will be closing school to students.”

7:28 p.m.

Burke County Jail said it will start a temporary suspension to limit people within the jail.

The suspension will include visitations, people with programs coming inside the jail, and religious services.

Officials said remote visitation will continue to be available and attorney visits.

7:25 p.m.

Out of an abundance of caution, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be closed to the general public starting Saturday through the end of March, officials said.

6:53 p.m.

Mecklenburg County officials announced it is canceling events of more than 100 people to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“We realize that these services are important, but we also know that those served in these programs are the most at risk for serious complications,” said County Manager Dena R. Diorio. “Safety is our No. 1 concern.”

6:44 p.m.

All Discovery Place museums will be closed until March 27 because of public health concerns over COVID-19.

6:35 p.m.

Three Duke University graduate students who were traveling overseas with a group have tested positive for the coronavirus, school officials said. Those students are receiving treatment outside of the United States.

Duke physicians said the students are in good condition and remain in touch with them.

Other students who were apart of the group have returned to Durham and will stay in self-isolation off-campus for at least 14 days under medical supervision, according to the school.

6:23 p.m.

The Mecklenburg County Detention Center Central and the Juvenile Detention Center will no longer allow face-to-face or video visitation at this point.

Starting March 16, residents will receive 30 minutes of free internet visitation each week for 30 days. This excludes juveniles as they can’t receive internet visitation as minors.

Juvenile visitation is being decided by the state. There have been no confirmed details at this point.

“As a precautionary measure, we are refraining from all contact visits for the safety and security of our staff, residents, visitors, and attorneys. We also want to ensure that the residents currently held at both detention facilities are able to have some form of communication with their loved ones," said Telisa E. White, chief of detention.

5:50 p.m.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said it is investigating its 13th case of COVID-19.

The new case is a woman from Kershaw County who had contact with another known coronavirus case. Officials said she was evaluated at a health care facility and is now in isolation at home.

5:33 p.m.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has called for an emergency board meeting at 7 p.m.

5:10 p.m.

Iredell-Statesville Schools announced it will extend spring break for all students through March 20.

School officials said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution with hundreds of students and adults traveling across the country and around the world during spring break.

Depending on students, adults and families’ travel history, officials recommend people considering self-quarantining for a period of 14 days following their return.

The district said it will hold optional teacher workdays March 16-20 to prepare for the spread of the coronavirus.

4:27 p.m.

North Carolina health officials said they are not recommending preemptive closures of schools at this point.

Officials said they continue to look at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and speak with local communities and superintendents.

Health Director Gibbie Harris said from what they have seen from the CDC, closing schools for two to three weeks would not have much impact on slowing the spread of the virus.

3:33 p.m.

President Trump has declared a national emergency due to COVID-19.

This will increase funding to combat the virus as it spreads across the United States

3:05 p.m.

Novant Health said it is opening up triage tents outside emergency rooms and screening centers for COVID-19.

Areas that are open starting Friday are in Winston-Salem and Matthews. Tents will be open Wednesday in Huntersville and Kernersville.

2:55 p.m.

Dollywood in Pigeon Forge announced it’s postponing its grand opening until March 28 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

2:37 p.m.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19.

McMaster also said all schools in Lancaster and Kershaw Counties will be closed for 14 days.

Additional actions to be included in the governor's executive order:

• All state government offices shall remain open for operation during their normal business hour
• Visitation at state and local correctional facilities in all 46 counties shall be suspended immediately
• DHEC shall immediately restrict visitation to nursing homes and assisted living facilities with the exception of end of life situations
• State price gouging laws shall go into effect immediately
• The State Emergency Management Plan shall be activated

2:25 p.m.

Duke Energy said it is suspending disconnection for customers who have not paid as of now.

Officials said this applies to all home and business accounts in North Carolinas as well as several other states.

1:48 p.m.

Harris Teeters said it is limiting the number of certain products customer can buy.

“The latest update is that we have placed limits of three each on items in the following categories: Water, Toilet Tissue, Canned Meat, Pasta, Cleaning Supplies, Airborne, Cold, Flu & Allergy," Officials with Harris Teeters said.

1:35 p.m.

Health Director Gibbie Harris said there is only one case of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County. She said the second case mentioned Thursday was tied to Cabarrus County.

According to Harris, people keep going to hospitals and medical departments asking for tests for the coronavirus. She said people need to be calling ahead if they think they have the virus and not just showing up.

“We still have limited access to testing in this community," Harris said.

12:40 p.m.

A spokesperson for Red Ventures told Channel 9′s Joe Bruno a worker at their Charlotte office has been referred for coronavirus testing.

The company said all employees at the Charlotte office have been told to work home from while it is cleaned.

12:00 p.m.

North Carolina Chief Justice Cheri Beasley has directed local courts to postpone most cases in district and superior court for at least 30 days.

There are exceptions:

• The proceeding will be conducted remotely
• The proceeding is necessary to preserve the right to due process of law
• The proceeding is for the purpose of obtaining emergency relief
• The senior resident superior court judge, chief business court judge or chief district court judge determines that the proceeding can be conducted under conditions that protect the health and safety of all

11:40 a.m.

NASCAR has postponed race events at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend and Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend because of coronavirus concerns.

"We believe this decision is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our fans, competitors, officials and everyone associated with our sport. We will continue to monitor this dynamic situation as we assess future race events.”

11:30 a.m.

Carowinds has announced it will postpone the park’s opening until Friday, April 3 out of caution.

Officials said while there have been no confirmed cases at the Carowinds properties, they believe it is the right decision to keep guests, employees and the community safe.

10:56 a.m.

Health officials say there are 15 confirmed cases or presumptive cases of coronavirus in North Carolina.

Thursday, it appeared there were 16 cases in the state, but the health director believed one of the Mecklenburg County cases was not from here.

Here is an updated North Carolina coronavirus tracker:

Wake County: 8 cases

Forsyth County: 2 cases

Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Chatham, Johnston and Durham counties each have one case.

10:45 a.m.

Watauga County Schools has released more information about how the district is approaching the ongoing coronavirus threat.

Effective midnight March 13, all high school athletic events have been suspended until April 6. This includes competitions, workouts, practices and conditioning. The district has extended the restriction to middle school athletics as well.

Out-of-country and out-of-state travel as well as activities for students such as field trips have been canceled until at least April 6. School leaders said they are working to recover trip payments.

Also, all after-school student events, clubs and meetings are suspended until at least April 6.

Superintendent Dr. Scott Elliott said while the state and local health officials recommend keeping schools open at this time, the district is preparing for the possibility of an extended closure.

10:20 a.m.

Sycamore Brewing has temporarily paused operations out of caution because of coronavirus concerns.

The company said “As a popular destination in Charlotte’s social community, matters of our employees’ and customers’ health and well-being are of paramount concern.”

9:03 a.m.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools gave more information about how the district is approaching the ongoing threat of the coronavirus.

School leaders said as a district, they are emphasizing keeping schools clean, social distancing and limiting student and staff exposure to those who may have been affected.

Any school-based events happening before or after normal school hours as well as competitions and school-based performances have been canceled, effective Saturday, March 14. All before- and after- school enrichment programs will operate on a normal schedule.

Officials said they are continuing to monitor the situation and will make decisions as they are needed.

9:00 a.m.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling has canceled several of its spring national college fairs.

The Charlotte National College Fair was originally scheduled for March 22 at the Park Expo and Conference Center, but it has since been canceled due to growing coronavirus concerns.

“The safety of students, families, and participating college and university representatives is paramount," said Pia Brown, National College Fairs director.

Important Links & Updates:

• National Live Updates
• CDC: Tracking Cases in the U.S. here
• NC Dept. of Health & Human Service
• WSOC Special Section: Tracking Coronavirus
• CMS, other Local School District Updates
• Local Universities and Colleges Updates
• WHO: Advice for the Public
• WHO: Q&A

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