Updates from Gov. Cooper's COVID-19 briefing:
As of today we have 89,484 lab-confirmed cases; 1,956 new cases reported today; 1,109 people in the hospital; and, sadly, 1,552 people who have died. The loss of a loved one from COVID-19 can be a difficult and lonely journey, and our prayers are with all of you.
I know many children and parents are talking every day about what will happen with schools this year. In the spring, when this pandemic first broke out, we made the difficult but necessary decision to close in-person learning at K-12 schools and move to remote learning.
March feels like a long time ago, given everything we’ve been through. And that was just the beginning of a series of tough decisions to slow the spread of COVID-19 that have helped our state cope and prevented our hospitals from being overwhelmed.
The reality is that the disease continues to spread throughout the country, and some states are seeing their hospitals fill up. But the good news is we now know more about how to slow the spread and how to protect ourselves.
After working with health experts, school superintendents, teachers and more, we plan to put those protections in place and open our schools in a careful way.
Today, we announce that North Carolina schools will open for both in-person and remote learning with key safety precautions to protect the health of our students, teachers, staff and families. This is the Plan B that we asked schools to prepare.
It’s a measured approach that will allow children to attend but provide important safety protocols like fewer children in the classroom, social distancing, face coverings, cleaning and more.
As a part of this plan, we want local school districts to provide a remote learning option for any child who chooses it. In addition, school districts will have the option of Plan C – all remote learning – if that’s best for them.
I know parents, students and teachers have questions about what school might look like if they attend in person. I want to share more information about some of the requirements for schools under this plan.
Face coverings will be required for every teacher, staff and student from kindergarten through high school. The studies have shown overwhelmingly that face coverings reduce disease transmission.
To help, the state will be providing at least 5 reusable face coverings for every student, teacher and staff member. And we have already delivered a two-month supply of thermometers and medical-grade equipment for school nurses.
Districts and schools can use a plan that works for them – whether it’s alternating days or weeks or some other strategy. Symptom screenings, including temperature checks, will take place daily before children enter the school buildings.
Schools must create a way to isolate students who have symptoms and ensure they can get home safely. Schedules must allow time for frequent hand washing and schools will regularly clean classrooms, bathrooms, buses and equipment.
Teachers will work to limit sharing of personal items and classroom materials. Nonessential visitors and activities involving outside organizations will be limited.
Schools are also recommended to implement other safety precautions such as: one-way hallways & entrances; keeping students in small groups; eating lunch in the classroom if the cafeteria won’t allow for social distancing; and suspending large group activities like assemblies.
Schools will look a lot different this year in order to be safe and effective. Public health experts and school leaders developed these rules to protect students, teachers and families. They also have detailed procedures for what’ll happen if a student or teacher tests positive.
Plan B is a baseline for our state. However, as I said earlier, districts can choose plan C – which requires all remote learning – if they determine that is best for those children, parents and teachers in that area.
The start of school is a month away for most of our children & we know a lot can happen with the virus during that time. If trends spike and in-person school cannot be done safely with these safety protocols, then we will need to move to all remote learning like we did in March.
There are no decisions more important than the ones about our children and our schools. This announcement is the result of careful, collaborative and painstaking work. As with many choices during this pandemic, we are working with the best information and science we have today.
We know there will always be some risk with in-person learning and we are doing a lot to reduce that risk. But as pediatricians and other health experts tell us, there is much risk in not going back to in-person school.
We know that schools provide much more than academic lessons. They support children’s social, emotional & physical development. They’re reliable sources of good meals. And they’re a critical line of defense when a student has a troubled home life including abuse, hunger & more.
My mom was a teacher. I’ve spent time with teachers in every corner of our state. It didn’t take a pandemic for me to understand that teachers are some of our most essential employees – pulling from their own pockets to buy supplies and getting in early just to stay late.
In March, our teachers and school staff dove head first into the challenge of remote learning and meal distribution. They rose to the occasion, and now we’re asking them to rise even higher and dig even deeper. So we must move ahead with the resources needed to protect them.
Ensuring that this plan protects not just students, but teachers and staff, too, is the top priority. I strongly encourage all superintendents and principals to listen to teachers and staff as they shape their plans. This will be challenging, but I have faith in our teachers.
Today, I also announce that when the current executive order expires this Friday, July 17, North Carolina will continue to stay paused in Safer at Home Phase 2 for three weeks.
Our virus trends are not spiking like some other states. We have hospital capacity and our percent positive is still high but it's steady. However, our numbers are still troubling and they could jump higher in the blink of an eye.
Easing restrictions now to allow more high-transmission activities could cause a spike that would threaten our ability to open schools. The most important opening is that of our classroom doors.
We want to be done with this pandemic, but it’s not done with us. We’ll continue toward the school year & work together with everyone’s safety in mind. The easiest & most effective way we can ensure our children go to school in August and ease economic restrictions: wear a mask.
CDC Director Robert Redfield said that if everyone could wear a face covering over the next six weeks, we could drive this virus into the ground. Let’s do that for our children, if nothing else.
