Since last week, Governor Roy Cooper has handed down a statewide Stay At Home Order. Some counties and municipalities have gone even further with stay-at-home guidance. For example, New Hanover County has defined specific businesses that must close such as auto dealerships and hotels and motels. When there are discrepancies between the state and local orders, the more restrictive version takes precedence.
New Hanover County also ends its curbside library starting April 1st.
Businesses are rescaling to accommodate an online, curbside, or takeout model. Some are simply closing until the COVID-19 pandemic passes.
Zoom meetings are the order of the day for many people working from home and students engaging with teachers. Neighborhoods are creating games for kids; teddy bear hunts encourage kids to get outside and count stuffed bears which residents place in trees, windows, and on front porches.
The number of positive Conronavirus cases in North Carolina grows daily, but the numbers we hear do not reflect the actual number of cases. State Epidemiologist Zack Moore says with an incubation period of up to 14 days, stay-at-home orders and social distancing won’t appear to pay off for at least two weeks.
In fact, says Moore, the bad news is that North Carolina is at the beginning of its pandemic crisis. Moore compares what state officials know about COVID-19 to an iceberg. The iceberg’s tip, what we know, comes from limited data: the number of people hospitalized for more severe symptoms and the number of outpatient visits. But officials don’t know how many people have the disease who have not been tested – either because they’ve stayed home with milder symptoms or because they don’t have symptoms.
To find resources mentioned on the show, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Segment 1:
Guests: Del Burns, Ph.D., Interim Superintendent, New Hanover County Schools
Jerry Oates, Ph.D., Superintendent, Brunswick County Schools
Segments 2 & 3:
Guests:
Audrey Hart, Executive Director, New Hanover Disaster Coalition
Beth Gaglione, Branch Director, Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina in Wilmington
RESOURCES:
How to help:
To find help with food:
https://foodbankcenc.org/find-help/food-finder/
To find nonprofits who can help:
