DATA: North Carolina – The Skinny – May 5

By the Numbers:

• 11,971 known cases in NC (as of 05/04/2020 at 4:32 p.m.)
• 11.848 positive cases confirmed by NCDHHS
• 1,176,905 cases in the U.S. (as of 4:32 p.m.)
• 146,439 completed tests in North Carolina
• 498 people currently hospitalized due to COVID-19
• 442 deaths in North Carolina
• 68,387 deaths in the U.S. (as of 4:32 p.m.)
• 99 counties in NC with cases (Avery County remains the only county without a case)

Latest Developments

• This morning, Governor Cooper signed both of the COVID-19 relief bills into law. During the signing, he said that he’d outline his plans for “Phase 1” by Wednesday. He said he’s hoping the state will be able to enter “Phase 1” this weekend once his stay-at-home order expires.
• More than 1 million people have filed for unemployment in North Carolina since March 15. That equals about 20 percent of the state’s workforce.
• Geraldine Keith, who many of you know from the Legislative Building’s cafeteria, was recently released from the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. WRAL highlighted her recovery process.
• A Superior Court judges has ordered state officials to release detailed information about the steps they’re taking to prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 in states prisons.
• After setting up a free, open-air testing site, New Hanover County said of the 186 tests, 47 came back negative (139 were pending with no positive results).
• U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said the department is reviewing plans for opening facilities up to the public. He said states with little or no COVID-19 cases could be the first to reopen facilities.

 Quick Hits

• The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over the phone for the first time today. The justices asked questions in order of seniority (yes, including Justice Thomas who asked his first questions in more than a year).
• California became the first state to borrow from the federal government to make unemployment payments. From The Wall Street Journal: “The Golden State borrowed $348 million in federal funds after receiving approval to tap up to $10 billion for this purpose through the end of July, a Treasury Department spokesman said Monday. The U.S. government has also approved loans of up to $12.6 billion for Illinois and up to $1.1 billion for Connecticut through the end of July to replenish state unemployment insurance funds, though the two states hadn’t yet started borrowing by the end of April. California was the only state to have accessed the program so far in the current downturn, the Treasury spokesman said.”
• Tyson Foods said it expects meat shortages to continue as factories are struggling to stay open as employees test positive for COVID-19.