Thread by @ncdhhs

.@NC_Governor: Good afternoon. Thank you for joining today’s update on COVID-19 in North Carolina. As of this morning, we have 1,498 confirmed positive cases and unfortunately, this virus has now taken the lives of eight North Carolinians.

.@NC_Governor: As a state, I know we are keeping their families and loved ones in our prayers. Our Stay At Home order is in effect now. I know it’s hard, but prevention is still the single most important thing you can do right now.

.@NC_Governor: Prevention means maintaining physical distance from each other, washing hands, coughing into the elbow. Those simple things can save lives, including your own. It’s vitally important that everyone take this order seriously and obey it. Don’t let down your guard.

.@NC_Governor: Staying home slows the spread of this illness. It lets our hospitals and healthcare workers keep up with the demand. If we don’t slow the spread and flatten the curve, our medical system will be stretched beyond its capacity.

.@NC_Governor: You only have to turn on the TV or glance at your iPhone to see what happens when hospitals get more cases than they can handle. I know our economy has taken a hit and so have the finances of people across North Carolina.

.@NC_Governor: That’s why I took action to make unemployment benefits more widely available. With the federal boost of $600 a week, it can help keep people afloat who’ve lost their jobs.

.@NC_Governor: Help for small businesses is on the way along with federal stimulus checks. But we know we’ll have to do more. Now we are taking another step to help families.

.@NC_Governor: Today, I have signed an executive order to prohibit utilities from shutting off service to people who are unable to pay.

.@NC_Governor: This action is particularly important since tomorrow is the first of the month, and I know that’s a date many families fear when they can’t make ends meet.

.@NC_Governor: Today’s action orders that electric, gas, water and wastewater services can’t be shut off for the next 60 days. Telecommunication companies that provide phone, cable and internet services are strongly urged to follow these same rules.

.@NC_Governor: This order encourages banks not to charge customers for overdraft fees, late fees and other penalties. The order is in effect for 60 days, and we will be able to re-evaluate where we are in the arc of this pandemic to determine if protections are needed longer.

.@NC_Governor: I appreciate companies like Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, AT&T, Spectrum, local electric co-ops and many others for already announcing policies to prevent shutoffs. I know there are too many companies to name, but I commend them for doing the right thing.

.@NC_Governor: Households are already getting help in other ways. The State of Emergency I declared outlaws price gouging. Those unemployment benefits I mentioned earlier will start going out this week.

.@NC_Governor: And at the outset of this pandemic, Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley took the important step to stop newly entered evictions from moving forward. I am grateful for her swift action and I know many families are too.

.@NC_Governor: In consultation with Attorney General Josh Stein, who is here with us today, this order strongly encourages the delay of any evictions that had already been entered.

.@NC_Governor: People should pay their bills, and the vast majority want to and do. But during this crisis, some just don’t have enough money.

.@NC_Governor: These protections will help families stay in their homes and keep vital services like electricity, water, and communications going as we #StayatHome.

.@NC_Governor: I've activated additional National Guard personnel for state active duty, bringing our total by the weekend to 180.

.@NC_Governor: These additional guard servicemembers will help get supplies where they’re needed as quickly as possible and conduct engineering assessments should we need to begin building alternative hospital facilities.

.@NC_Governor: And as with every day, we continue to push for more medical supplies like protective gear for health care workers. To date, North Carolina has received 17.6 percent of what it’s asked for from the Strategic National Supply.

.@NC_Governor: That’s not enough, and we are pushing to get these orders filled any way we can. We’re searching high and low to get medical supplies from other sources, and we’ll keep pushing until we get what we need.

.@NC_Governor: I continue to ask that you be mindful of families who need food and avoid overbuying at the grocery store, particularly tomorrow and this week. Federal food assistance for families in need comes in at the first of the month.

.@NC_Governor: That’s tomorrow, April 1. Food supplies remain strong, so just buy what you need so that there’s enough for everyone.

.@NC_Governor: As we settle into a new rhythm of life, please know that if we all do our part we’ll get through these times. The decisions we’re making to battle this invisible enemy have not been easy. But they are necessary to save lives.

.@NC_Governor: Every time I’ve spoken from this podium, I have encouraged North Carolinians to look out for each other in the face of this crisis. Today, I am honored to sign an order that does just that.

.@NC_Governor: Helping each other through this is how we will achieve victory. This virus may be tearing through our state right now, but it won’t tear through the bonds we share with each other.

.@NC_Governor: Today I’m joined by Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Yesterday was National Doctor Day, and I thanked our doctors, nurses and healthcare workers for their service.

.@NC_Governor: I did not have a chance to thank one doctor in particular though. That is Dr. Cohen, and she deserves a big thank you for all of her efforts.

.@NC_Governor: I also have Mike Sprayberry, Director of Emergency Management; Erik Hooks, Secretary of the Department of Public Safety. And Attorney General Josh Stein.

.@NC_Governor: Sign language is provided by Monica McGee and Lee Williamson. And behind the scenes, Spanish language interpretation is provided by Jackie Metivier and Jasmine Metivier.

.@SecMandyCohen: I’ll start with a run-down of the numbers. As of this morning:
• 1498 Cases

• 77 Counties

• 47 Median Age. This is the median age of people who tested positive.

• 157 current hospitalizations

• 8 deaths

• 23,106 completed tests across the state

.@SecMandyCohen:

• 23,106 completed tests across the state from labs that have reported their negative tests, not all do

• 8,441 tests pending

• 17,572 in-patient hospital beds in the state and 7,024 are empty (40%). These numbers are based on 84% of hospitals reporting.

.@SecMandyCohen: These numbers do not include surge. We are working with our hospitals right now to plan out what their maximum surge capacity is and will be sharing those numbers as they report back on just how far they can stretch their capacity.

.@SecMandyCohen:

• 3,223 ICU beds in the state and 793 are empty (25%). This also does not yet include surge and is based on 84% of hospitals reporting.

.@SecMandyCohen: All of this data and more are now on our COVID-19 dashboard at ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus.

.@SecMandyCohen: For example, later today you will be able to get information on supply requests. There’s more detailed information on the number of cases per day over time and on hospitalizations by region. We continue to add additional data points throughout the week.

.@SecMandyCohen: Our goal is transparency. We continue to try to find the right balance between expediency and accuracy. And . . . if someone could figure out how to put more hours in the day, that would help too.

.@SecMandyCohen: Yesterday, our state epidemiologist Dr. Zack Moore held a press briefing to talk about how we will be employing a robust surveillance system to understand COVID-19 in our state.

.@SecMandyCohen: While testing will continue to be important, now that we have widespread community transmission, testing will only provide a limited picture. So, we are building on our evidence-based system to track flu to get a more comprehensive picture of COVID-19.

.@SecMandyCohen: While there is a lot we continue to learn about COVID-19, we are not walking blindly. We can look to other countries and states to understand the impact of the disease and how to slow the spread. We have time-tested, validated tools to monitor impact in NC.

.@SecMandyCohen: We have a powerful weapon against the virus – social distancing. And we have a Governor willing to take bold actions to keep us safe.

.@SecMandyCohen: Thank you for all you are doing to save lives by staying home. And thanks to the many doctors, nurses and other clinicians who are doing the hard work every day to care for our friends and family.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: Good afternoon. Today is day 22 of the State Emergency Operations Center activation for the COVID-19 response.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: 58 counties have their local emergency operations centers activated. 97 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have declared local states of emergency.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: Yesterday, we began receiving our third allocation of supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: This shipment from the federal government includes more personal protective equipment like masks, gloves, gowns and face shields.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: Those supplies are being quickly turned around and sent out to medical providers and first responders across the state, through our eight regional healthcare coalitions.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: While these supplies from the National Stockpile are extremely helpful – we still need more.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: Our logistics and sourcing teams continue to work aggressively every day to locate more personal protective equipment. Our orders so far total about $95.8 million and the teams are continuing to find and buy.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: As you heard the Governor say, more National Guard personnel are being activated to help with movement and distribution of supplies, and with assessing buildings for use as overflow medical facilities.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: These additional warehouse and transportation crews and engineers will be on duty by this weekend. They will also provide cargo trucks and Humvees to help with supply distribution.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: Our efforts to recruit, register and screen disaster medical volunteers, including retired doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are ongoing. Nearly 1200 people have registered and more than 600 are now approved and at work.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: If you are a retired or former medical professional who would like to volunteer, you can register online at terms.ncem.org

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: I want to remind all North Carolinians to call 9-1-1 only in the event of a true emergency. 9-1-1 centers are extremely busy at this time. Please do not call 9-1-1 to report instances where you think social distancing is not being observed.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: If we all do our best to stay home, and maintain social distance, these calls will not be necessary.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: North Carolina 2-1-1 continues to help hundreds of people each day who have needs relating to the coronavirus.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: Obtaining food is an issue for many families right now – and 2-1-1 can help with food resources. To help families access food, North Carolina is temporarily increasing benefits for Food and Nutrition Services recipients during this pandemic.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: All current FNS recipients will get the maximum amount for their household size in March and April.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: You can get more important information by dialing 2-1-1 – or by texting COVIDNC to 898211 to receive regular text updates. Nearly 60,000 people are now receiving texts.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: While you are staying at home, remember to complete your 2020 census form. Tomorrow is National Census Day, and you can participate at home with your family and children.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: It only takes about 10 minutes to complete the online form at my2020census.gov

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: Making sure your household is accurately counted in the census is important in so many ways – to ensure your community, and our state gets the right federal resources over the next decade.

.@DirectorNCEM Mike Sprayberry: Thank you for your support of the State Emergency Response Team. Your personal actions to stay home, stay distanced and stop the spread will help save lives. With your help, we will all get through this.

. @JoshStein_: Good afternoon. I want to begin by thanking the people all across our state for their hard work in guiding us through this unprecedented crisis.

. @JoshStein_: For the most part, we have been appropriately focused on the health and well-being of people. That's why @NC_Governor has taken a number of important actions to date to preserve the public's health.

. @JoshStein_: But this crisis is not only taking a toll on our physical well-being, but it is also affecting our economic well-being. This past Sunday alone, more than 20,000 North Carolinians filed for unemployment.

. @JoshStein_: In just the last two weeks, this insidious virus has forced businesses to lay off more than 300,000 people. Just think about that number . . . it's massive. It's orders of magnitude worse than those from the great recession.

. @JoshStein_: These are people who serve us at restaurants. They fly us on airplanes and greet us at hotels. They produce and sell our clothing. They manufacture the products we use each day. They do these things and so much more. They're our neighbors and they need our help.

. @JoshStein_: Today's executive order is about taking strong action to provide needed relief to these North Carolinians. People who are struggling financially through no fault of their own.

. @JoshStein_: With this executive order, we are prohibiting utilities from shutting off services, charging late fees and charging reconnection fees. We are encouraging landlords to work with their tenants, not evict them.

. @JoshStein_: We are encouraging banks and mortgage servicers to be flexible with homeowners and other borrowers. And we are encouraging telecommunication providers to keep their customers connected in these trying times.

. @JoshStein_: I thank @NC_Governor for issuing this executive order to provide some much-needed breathing room for people who are doing their best to scramble to make ends meet.

.@JoshStein_: But this relief isn't just compassionate and appropriate, it will help protect all North Carolinians. Now is no time for people to be without water to wash their hands or forced into crowded temporary living quarters.

. @JoshStein_: We need to slow the spread of this virus and this order will help us do that.

. @JoshStein_: The industries affected by today's order, power, water, natural gas, lending and telecommunications, are necessary to life. I want to recognize that many businesses in these sectors have already been doing right by their customers during this crisis.

. @JoshStein_: Duke Energy has pledged to keep services on for customers, regardless of payment. More than 550 telecom companies have pledged to keep Americans connected. Many NC banks are deferring payments, modifying loans, waiving fees and penalties, and pausing foreclosures.

. @JoshStein_: All of these efforts underscore North Carolinians's commitment to each other.

. @JoshStein_: Notwithstanding these positive steps, government action is necessary to bring uniformity and clarity on these issues so we can better protect the hundreds of thousands of NCians who are now financially struggling because of this unprecedented economic crisis.

. @JoshStein_: In addition to partnering with @NC_Governor on today's executive order, I want to mention a few other actions that my office has taken in recent days.

. @JoshStein_: We're working hard to raise awareness of scams relating to coronavirus, particularly those using robocalls. While the vast majority of folks in NC are rising to the occasion to help others, there are a few heartless criminals trying to exploit people's fears.

. @JoshStein_: We are gathering complaints about price gouging and as of today, we've received 755. And we are reviewing each one.

. @JoshStein_: We've already sent out a number of investigative demands to sellers for more information and we will take legal action to hold accountable anyone who is ripping people off.

. @JoshStein_: Because of people's financial duress, we have stopped collections activities on behalf of the state. And we have urged the U.S. Department of Education to provide loan relief for people who are not able to pay back their student loans right now.

. @JoshStein_: Finally, today, we released internet safety resources and other resources for parents whose children are spending more time online at home. My colleagues at the Department of Justice and I will continue to do everything we can to protect people amid this crisis.

. @JoshStein_: This is a time like no other. A number of our neighbors are sick and a few have died. Many more live in fear of this virus and hundreds of thousands of NCians are out of work as a result of it.

. @JoshStein_: For NC to get through this crisis, every business, every church, mosque and temple, every civic organization, every government agency and every person has a critical role to play.

. @JoshStein_: As your North Carolina Attorney General, I remain committed to working alongside each one of you to help us get to the other side of this crisis. And we will. Together.