WILMINGTON — Staying up to date on Covid-19 is a bit like trying to drink from a fire hose on full blast. The pandemic crisis evolves daily and it can be difficult, at best, to stay on top of where things stand and what our very slippery ‘new normal’ looks like for the moment.
What follows is a snapshot that, at least for the time being, covers some of the major moving parts of the Covid-19 situation: testing and results, restrictions and ‘states of emergency’ (and questions about enforcement and authority), plans for government assistance (from federal aid to local initiatives), changes in how local governments do business, and changes in hospital visiting policies.
If you’re looking for resources, you can find some useful ones here: Covid-19 resource roundup: Wilmington-area small businesses, childcare, health, info [Free read]
If you’re looking for local businesses that are still operating, or information on how to get your business listed, you can find info here.
And, if you’re looking for the human side of this week’s news cycle, check out this photo and audio essay: Faces of Wilmington – A portrait of the city and its residents as they face the novel coronavirus pandemic
Of course, there’s no way to cover the whole week (or even a day, really) in one re-cap, so you can find all of Port City Daily’s free reporting on Covid-19 here. We also encourage you to send comments, questions, and concerns to info@portcitydaily.com.
Testing and results
As of Saturday, March 21 at around 11 a.m., North Carolina was reporting 5,276 tests at state and private labs, with 184 positive tests (the CDC no longer requires federal re-testing to ‘confirm’ tests, but previously all state and private tests were ‘presumptive’ before being confirmed by CDC labs — more on the difference between presumed and confirmed positives here).
Those numbers don’t include two new cases in Brunswick County and three news cases in New Hanover County, announced midafternoon on Saturday. More on the three new NHC cases here. There are currently six cases in Brunswick County and four in New Hanover County.
One of those cases was a UNCW student. On Saturday afternoon, UNCW confirmed two students had tested positive. Both had traveled (on one a study-abroad program, one on spring break). Neither had returned to campus since traveling, the University noted. While one returned to Charlotte, the other returned to the Wilmington area. More info on those cases, here.
The latest numbers have risen from 24 presumptive positives a week ago. To date, there have been no recorded deaths from Covid-19 in North Carolina.
The state also saw its first case identified as ‘community spread,’ meaning that public health officials were unable to trace the infection’s origin to travel or another patient. This, according to both Governor Roy Cooper and DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, has triggered the state’s movement from containment to mitigation.
That means health officials are moving from a strategy of identifying cases and isolating them (containment) to restricting social interaction to combat the spread (mitigation). According to Cohen, some of those restrictions are already in place — although more could come, something seen in the more severe lockdowns in California, Illinois, and New York.
Nationwide, the CDC was reporting 200 deaths from 15,219 — with the majority of patients recovering. In the hardest-hit areas, where officials have been saving testing materials — which are still limited — for health workers and the most vulnerable, according to the Washington Post.
Restrictions, ‘states of emergency,’ and questions about authority and enforcement
Over the last week, guidelines have become increasingly strict, with Governor Cooper asking to limit groups to 100 and under and then passing an executive order making that legally enforceable, to the CDC recommending groups stay under 50, to the White House asking groups to limit themselves to 10 or less — even in private residences.
On Friday evening, New Hanover County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Julia Olson-Boseman issued a state of emergency for the county, closing all beaches and making the legally enforceable limit for most public and private gatherings 10 people or less. While Olson-Boseman is within her legal powers to act on behalf of the other commissioners, former chairman Woody White publicly disagreed with the move, calling it an overreaction (more on that, here).
New Hanover County was far from alone, however — as other local states of emergency have followed. Some local municipalities had already taken action; Friday evening’s move came after Wrightsville Beach, Surf City, and Carolina Beach all closed their beaches and Bald Head Island issued a voluntary evacuation order. It’s worth noting that on Thursday Wrightsville Beach responded to questions about closing — prompted by large crowds on the beach — by saying it now plans to do so. Three hours after this article about those crowds published, officials had a change of heart.
In the process, Carolina Beach appears to have violated open meeting law by retreating to closed session without a valid legal reason to do so. It’s not the only question about the legality of the recent restrictions.
Lt. Governor Dan Forest initially challenged the executive order from Cooper — saying he had not secured the approval of his Council of State, which includes Forest — but later walked that back. Members of the press also pushed Cooper, asking him if he had the statutory authority to limit private gatherings, specifically churches. Cooper said he believed he did have the authority.
Locally, Cooper’s order to shutter bars and dining-rooms left restaurants scrambling desperately to adapt in an attempt to save their businesses and their employees from financial devastation. Since Cooper’s order still allowed to-go food, some restaurants attempted to use outside seating as a place for customers to dine. Some saw it as a creative work-around, while others cried foul.
This left the Wilmington Police Department in a bind. The Governor’s office had deferred the job of interpreting how law enforcement could and should enforce his executive order to local District Attorney offices and legal counsel for local agencies. WPD said it was leaving cases up to the discretion of individual officers.
Ultimately, Cooper’s office clarified that the patio service option was a no-go, but other enforcement questions will likely remain. Currently, both Cooper’s office and local law enforcement have both said they want ‘voluntary compliance,’ not criminal enforcement.
Government aid?
The collateral damage of attempts to ‘flatten the curve’ has been major: businesses closed, employees laid off, and the economy heading into a bear market.
Cooper has said more than once this week that the economic situation requires more than the state can provide, and many have turned their eyes to Capitol Hill for relief. Currently, the White House and Senate are negotiating an economic stimulus and aid bill that has been ballparked between around $1.3 trillion dollars. This includes the proposal to send around $1000 directly to each citizen ($500 per child).
Some questions remain, including how the government would logistically manage the largely unprecedented move, if there would be income-caps or if pay-outs would vary based on tax brackets, and if the money would (perhaps ironically) be taxable.
Related: Wilmington’s service industry is being demolished. What can Raleigh do to help save it? [Free read]
There’s still plenty that Raleigh can do and, over the past week, discussions included extending the timeframe and increasing the amounts for unemployment benefits, as well as other ways to help address the state’s economy.
Locally, Wilmington’s downtown stakeholders — including the Downtown Business Alliance and Wilmington Downtown, Inc. — are working to help support small businesses. But for the rest of the region, it remains to be seen what local support will look like. In the coming weeks, it’s likely Wilmington, New Hanover County, and other local governments will have to consider what the economic development partners they help fund can do to help the region’s economy survive and recover.
Local government changes
City of Wilmington offices will only be available to the public by appointment, starting on Monday (info on how to do that, here). Many other government buildings are closing to the public as well, so for those looking to pay bills, ask questions, or get other services, it’s best to call ahead.
Many local governments have canceled advisory or committee meetings, and are moving to teleconference and virtual meetings. For public hearings that allow for input from residents, Wilmington recently allowed email comments. Other local boards may follow suit. You can find more info on staying in touch with local government during the Covid-19 crisis, here.
The Partnership Advisory Group, which is guiding the exploration of potential new owners or partners for New Hanover Regional Medical Center, will also be looking at ways to keep the public involved — but, for now, the process is on hold for about a month.
Hospital restrictions
New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC)
Effective 7 a.m. Saturday, visitors will not be allowed at any NHRMC hospital, physician office, or facility. NHRMC has outlined some exceptions to allow limited support persons who are free of flu-like symptoms to accompany patients. Those exceptions include the following:
- Patients under the age of 18 may have one parent/guardian/advocate
- Patients at NHRMC Emergency Departments may have 1 support person with unit approval
- NICU patients may have both parents present
- Pediatric patients may have one parent/guardian/advocate
- Women in our birthplace areas may have one support partner
- Patients scheduled for a surgery or procedure may have one support person
- Patients with special circumstances can request an individual exception from their care team
Dosher Memorial Hospital
In order to protect our patients and staff, Dosher has restricted visitation guidelines on our Patient Care Unit, effective immediately:
- Do not visit if you have a cough, shortness of breath, or fever.
- Visitors will be limited to one (1) immediate family member.
- Must be 12 years of age or older.
Send comments and tips to Benjamin Schachtman at ben@localvoicemedia.com, @pcdben on Twitter, and (910) 538-2001
