It shouldn’t come as a surprise that we start this week with Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus (a.k.a. SARS-CoV-2). Globally, the disease is wreaking havoc both socially and economically. Locally, we’ve just started to see the impact.
To date, there’s been one confirmed case in the three-county area, but also several ‘self-isolated’ or ‘self-quarantined’ individuals. Several tests are pending at the state’s lab, and health officials say it’s a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ we see more local infection.
Still, officials are asking residents to remain calm and clear-headed about the outbreak. Translation, go ahead and buy some extra supplies, but be reasonable — and considerate of your neighbors. Very few people need five cases of toilet paper all at once (you know who you are).
You can find all our free local coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak on our homepage or archived here.
At the same time, it’s important to note that there’s still a lot of other important local stories unfolding. Just one example, which we get into on this week’s podcast, is the ongoing turmoil and trouble for New Hanover County Schools (which say it’s general counsel resign this week — yes, that was this week).
We’ll continue to stay on top of local issues, like the hospital sale exploration (proposals are due in next week), the fate of WAVE, issues in law enforcement and courts, and government spending (like, for example, why does Pender County have $26,000 drones — and how did they recently lose one?)
Oh, and Taco Roo’s Tacos and Chicken still hasn’t opened (or answered any questions). But we did catch up with the man behind the Facebook parody page — so, if you need something that’s not about global pandemic, that’s a good bet.
If you missed any of these stories, you can catch up below.
