Three new cases of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in Craven County residents. This brings the total positive case count to 10 in Craven County.
Of the 10 cases, five have been related to out of state travel, two are from community transmission, and two are a direct contact with a previously confirmed positive.
Craven County Health Department Communicable Disease staff has yet to determine where the third individual contracted COVID-19.
The new individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 are adults. Two of the individuals were tested at CarolinaEast Medical Center for COVID-19 on March 31, 2020. The third individual was tested at CarolinaEast Medical Center for COVID-19 on March 30, 2020.
All tests were sent to the North Carolina State Lab of Public Health. These confirmed cases were reported to the Craven County Health Department on Thursday, April 2, 2020 by state health officials and CarolinaEast Medical Center.
Craven County public health officials have been in contact with each individual since notified of the positive test results. All three individuals are hospitalized.
Craven County Health Department’s Communicable Disease staff is working to conduct contact tracing to make sure everyone who came into close contact with these individuals are quarantined.
Close contact is anyone who was within six feet of the individual for 10 minutes or more.
While Craven County has had 10 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, four of those individuals have recovered, are doing well, and are out of isolation.
Residents who feel they are symptomatic should stay home and self-isolate. Most people who get COVID-19 will recover without needing medical care. New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you stay home if you have mild symptoms such as fever and cough without shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
Anyone who is symptomatic should not just present at a medical provider’s office without calling ahead first. There are other upper respiratory illnesses present locally, the seasonal flu and it is allergy season which can also produce similar symptoms to COVID-19.
Craven County Health Director Scott Harrelson said, “We all need to take this seriously but we do not need to live in fear. Remember 80% of the people who get COVID-19 will experience mild symptoms.
“Our health department team will continue to perform contact tracing to make sure close contacts of infected individuals are going into quarantine for 14 days. This will not totally stop the spread of the virus but it will slow the spread of the virus down.
“Social distancing measures are also helping to slow the spread. We will see an increase in the number of cases through the weeks to come and it may not seem like we are slowing the spread but rest assured, your efforts are helping the situation greatly and know that we would experience many more cases if we were not taking these precautions.”
Craven County Government COVID-19 updates will appear on the Craven County website at www.cravencountync.gov, on the Craven County Facebook page @cravencounty and the Craven County Twitter account @cravencountync. Residents are also encouraged to register to receive notifications via the Craven County website and to register to receive emergency notifications via text, email and phone calls through the CodeRed Emergency Notification System.
For more information on COVID-19, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health website at https://ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus.
Posted in CarolinaEast, Community, Craven County
Take a look at this Google News report I received today:
NEWS
Gannett suspends dividend and implements cost cuts to offset impact of COVID-19
USA TODAY
Gannett, the owner of USA TODAY and more than 260 other daily publications, is suspending its dividend and implementing a variety of cost cuts to …
Coronavirus prompts furloughs, layoffs and pay cuts at Gannett newspapers
masslive.com
Gannett announced decreased advertising revenue amidst the COVID-19 public health crisis, The Daily Beast reported. CEO Paul Bascobert told …
Gannett Newspaper to Furlough Journalists – American Greatness
Workers at Statesman, other Gannett newspapers facing furloughs during coronavirus pandemic – Austin Business Journal
Gannett Will Cut Pay, Furlough Employees Amid Economic Loss From Coronavirus Pandemic
Democracy Now!
In media news, Gannett — which owns USA Today — has announced it is cutting pay and furloughing employees after a major loss in advertising …
Journal Sentinel’s Glauber, Bice, Spicuzza among newsroom staff furloughed by parent Gannett Co.
Milwaukee Business Journal
Gannett told employees Monday about the furlough program that runs through April, May and June, according to Gannett-owned USA TODAY.
Gannett taking steps to preserve liquidity
Virginia Business Magazine
McLean-based Gannett Co. Inc., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, is negotiating with its vendors, creditors and pension regulators in order to …
Gannett to furlough journalists
Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project
Gannett to furlough journalists. This story, plus Facebook’s fact checkers struggle to fight surge in coronavirus misinformation, new research exploring …
Gannett: Revenues To Be Significantly Impacted By COVID-19; To Cut Expenses
Nasdaq
Gannett has identified measures that it expects to reduce expenses in 2020 by an additional $100 – $125 million, through implementation of reductions …
As with so many other companies, York Daily Record feels economic crush of coronavirus
York Daily Record/Sunday News
During this time, top executives at Gannett will take a 25 percent reduction in pay. CEO Paul Bascobert will take no salary until these measures can end.
Gannett Expects Revenues To Be Significantly Impacted By Covid-19 Pandemic
Reuters
April 1 (Reuters) – Gannett Co Inc: * GANNETT ANNOUNCES BUSINESS RESPONSE TO COVID-19. * GANNETT CO INC – NOW EXPECT OUR …
Virginia Based Gannett Announces Furloughs of Springfield News-Leader Reporters
Ozarks Independent
OI reached out to Gannett’s corporate offices for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Gannett owns the New Bern Sun Journal, which presumably is also going through its own challenges. Its regional publisher, Mike Distelhorst, was recently laid off, and you can safely assume that its remaining staff is not immune from the furloughs and pay cuts that are being experienced at its sister newspapers (not that you’d find out about it reading the Sun Journal).
The Sun Journal may be owned by a national, publicly traded company that is more interested in its stockholders than its employees or customers, but the reporters, photographers, and editors who work for the Sun Journal are local people covering local news.
The Sun Journal’s importance has never been better demonstrated than now, when its small but feisty staff has been leading the way in covering COVID-19’s impacts on New Bern and surrounding communities.
It has even lifted its website paywall on COVID-19-related articles as a service to the community. That’s sort of like Harris Teeter giving away its best cuts of meat to help prevent hunger.
When you think about ways you can support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, don’t forget the Sun Journal. It and its direct ancestors have been covering New Bern since the 1870s, and New Bern itself was home to North Carolina’s first newspaper. Don’t let it wither away.
Subscribe to the Sun Journal. Advertise in the Sun Journal. Regularly visit its website, newbernsj.com. Send news tips to Sun Journal reporters. When you see Sun Journal journalists in the community, let them interview you and take your picture.
Information is everything, and without a robust, local newspaper, we all pay a steep price.
— Randy Foster / New Bern Post
Note: I was editor of the Sun Journal from 2009 to 2017. I resigned over differences with regional management. This is an unsolicited, uncompensated article.
Posted in Business, Community, Health, Journalism, New Bern
Take a look at this Google News report I received today:
NEWS
Gannett suspends dividend and implements cost cuts to offset impact of COVID-19
USA TODAY
Gannett, the owner of USA TODAY and more than 260 other daily publications, is suspending its dividend and implementing a variety of cost cuts to …
Coronavirus prompts furloughs, layoffs and pay cuts at Gannett newspapers
masslive.com
Gannett announced decreased advertising revenue amidst the COVID-19 public health crisis, The Daily Beast reported. CEO Paul Bascobert told …
Gannett Newspaper to Furlough Journalists – American Greatness
Workers at Statesman, other Gannett newspapers facing furloughs during coronavirus pandemic – Austin Business Journal
Gannett Will Cut Pay, Furlough Employees Amid Economic Loss From Coronavirus Pandemic
Democracy Now!
In media news, Gannett — which owns USA Today — has announced it is cutting pay and furloughing employees after a major loss in advertising …
Journal Sentinel’s Glauber, Bice, Spicuzza among newsroom staff furloughed by parent Gannett Co.
Milwaukee Business Journal
Gannett told employees Monday about the furlough program that runs through April, May and June, according to Gannett-owned USA TODAY.
Gannett taking steps to preserve liquidity
Virginia Business Magazine
McLean-based Gannett Co. Inc., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, is negotiating with its vendors, creditors and pension regulators in order to …
Gannett to furlough journalists
Pew Research Center’s Journalism Project
Gannett to furlough journalists. This story, plus Facebook’s fact checkers struggle to fight surge in coronavirus misinformation, new research exploring …
Gannett: Revenues To Be Significantly Impacted By COVID-19; To Cut Expenses
Nasdaq
Gannett has identified measures that it expects to reduce expenses in 2020 by an additional $100 – $125 million, through implementation of reductions …
As with so many other companies, York Daily Record feels economic crush of coronavirus
York Daily Record/Sunday News
During this time, top executives at Gannett will take a 25 percent reduction in pay. CEO Paul Bascobert will take no salary until these measures can end.
Gannett Expects Revenues To Be Significantly Impacted By Covid-19 Pandemic
Reuters
April 1 (Reuters) – Gannett Co Inc: * GANNETT ANNOUNCES BUSINESS RESPONSE TO COVID-19. * GANNETT CO INC – NOW EXPECT OUR …
Virginia Based Gannett Announces Furloughs of Springfield News-Leader Reporters
Ozarks Independent
OI reached out to Gannett’s corporate offices for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Gannett owns the New Bern Sun Journal, which presumably is also going through its own challenges. Its regional publisher, Mike Distelhorst, was recently laid off, and you can safely assume that its remaining staff is not immune from the furloughs and pay cuts that are being experienced at its sister newspapers (not that you’d find out about it reading the Sun Journal).
The Sun Journal may be owned by a national, publicly traded company that is more interested in its stockholders than its employees or customers, but the reporters, photographers, and editors who work for the Sun Journal are local people covering local news.
The Sun Journal’s importance has never been better demonstrated than now, when its small but feisty staff has been leading the way in covering COVID-19’s impacts on New Bern and surrounding communities.
It has even lifted its website paywall on COVID-19-related articles as a service to the community. That’s sort of like Harris Teeter giving away its best cuts of meat to help prevent hunger.
When you think about ways you can support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, don’t forget the Sun Journal. It and its direct ancestors have been covering New Bern since the 1870s, and New Bern itself was home to North Carolina’s first newspaper. Don’t let it wither away.
Subscribe to the Sun Journal. Advertise in the Sun Journal. Regularly visit its website, newbernsj.com. Send news tips to Sun Journal reporters. When you see Sun Journal journalists in the community, let them interview you and take your picture.
Information is everything, and without a robust, local newspaper, we all pay a steep price.
— Randy Foster / New Bern Post
Note: I was editor of the Sun Journal from 2009 to 2017. I resigned over differences with regional management. This is an unsolicited, uncompensated article.
Posted in Business, Community, Health, Journalism, New Bern
While not full, the parking lot at the Walmart Supercenter on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in New Bern was crowded enough to cause gridlock around lunchtime Wednesday. Photos by Randy Foster / New Bern Post
Walmart’s efficiency at combining selection, services, and low prices may well be driving something else to its shopping aisles: COVID-19.
Experts in the field of epidemiology say that once a community-spread case of novel coronavirus appears, it means that the virulent, deadly virus is entrenched in that community.
Number of COVID-19 cases in Craven County. Graphic by Randy Foster / New Bern Post
Yet despite the news Tuesday of two new, community-spread cases of the disease in New Bern, Walmart continued to drive customers in search of good prices and, perhaps, toilet paper.
Gov. Roy Cooper issued a stay-at-home executive order that took effect at 5 p.m. Monday, but the order was so full of exemptions, it is virtually pointless.
Two obvious exemptions are grocery stores and pharmacies. Other things, like clothing, toys, electronics, garden supplies, and furnishings, are generally understood to be non-essential. Stores that specialize in those categories have been shuttered.
The parking lot at New Bern Mall was nearly empty on Wednesday as businesses at the mall honor a stay-at-home executive order.
That gives Walmart (and in all fairness, Target) a commercial advantage over competitors. Like all grocery stores and pharmacies that are staying open, so is Walmart, and while it’s open, it may as well sell kayaks and sun dresses, too.
The critical mass of retail goods at Walmart is creating another critical mass, one that nurtures and propagates a microscopic organism that can infect people without them knowing it, bake over a period of days while being contagious, and spread easily and widely. Most people who catch it feel fine or barely sick, but about one third of the time, people get very sick and sometimes die.
To try to keep this from happening, throughout the state, schools have shut down to on-campus teaching. Only faculty and staff are allowed on campus so that they can hold their classes online.
The faculty parking lot at New Bern High School was half-full on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, students attended class in the virtual world, using computers, tablets, and smart phones to listen to lectures and access course materials.
The student parking lot at New Bern High School was deserted on Wednesday.
Businesses in New Bern’s cherished, historic downtown were also obeying the stay-at-home order. Some restaurants struggled to remain open, offering curbside service.
The streets in Downtown New Bern, including the intersection of Craven and Pollock streets at City Hall, were quiet on Wednesday.
It is clear that some take the COVID-19 pandemic more seriously than others, and some hardly seem to take it seriously at all. Worse, they take advantage of it, meanwhile putting the community at greater peril.
Walmart and Target are not alone. Moen, one of Craven County’s largest employers, is still in business, despite shutting down for two days to scrub away potential COVID-19 contamination from an employee who contracted the virus.
Even places like O’Reilly’s Auto Parts continue to stay open (check out the lively comments among employees unhappy about that).
As COVID-19 continues to spread in the community, leaders will continue to issue stricter orders — the kind of orders that should have been issued before the virus got out of hand.
That point will level the playing field, and the petri dishes like Walmart will be forced to surrender their competitive advantage and close the remaining few gateways that allow COVID-19 to spread.
But by then the damage will have been done.
Meanwhile, life presents its usual challenges. It’s April 1 and the rent/mortgage is due. So are car payments, utility bills, credit card payments, and on, and on.
For people forced out of work because of COVID-19, these are challenging times not just for their health but for their finances.
But it need not be so injurious. The solution is really very simple. The most effective thing President Trump can do to protect the American consumer is to declare a financial holiday — no bills due, no bills paid, for anyone — not the average consumer, not the local merchant, not the hospital, not the automaker.
The $1,200 stimulus check that will arrive in two to three weeks (two to three weeks too late) is going to be chewed up by garden variety bills, when what everyone needs is financial security.
They need groceries, electricity, gasoline, and connectivity.
If that sounds too complicated, imagine how complicated it was for the federal government to conjure up nearly $4 trillion (and counting) to service this ongoing natural disaster.
Too complicated? Then make it simple.
Posted in Commentary, Community, Economy, Economy and Employment, Health
Craven County has a COVID-19 case being treated at CarolinaEast Medical Center, one not reflected in the official numbers being reported by the Craven County Health Department or the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition to that, there are “a few others” at the hospital waiting for results on their tests and “many more” waiting for results at home, the Sun Journal reported.
The state and county have reported a total of six cases in Craven County since Tuesday morning.
Numbers released by the Craven County Health Department have tended to lag behind numbers reported by the state Department of Health and Human Services by a day or two. The New Bern Post is using state-reported figures as its primary source.
More from the Sun Journal article here
Meanwhile, Moen, a manufacturer of bathroom and kitchen fixtures and one of Craven County’s largest employers, shut down its plant in New Bern for cleaning after an employee tested positive for the virus, the Sun Journal reported.
Moen became aware that the employee tested positive for the virus on March 31. The individual has been self-quarantined at home since last week, when they first suspected they were sick, Moen said in a statement obtained by the Sun Journal.
“We’ve spoken to any colleagues the employee may have come in contact with to alert them of the situation and to request that they follow CDC guidelines and self-quarantine for 14 days. We immediately closed the facility for sanitation,” Moen said in the statement. “We also immediately contacted local health officials who characterized the risk to other workers at the facility as extremely low. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re bringing in a third party to deep clean and disinfect the workplace again, after a similar cleaning took place since the individual was last on site.”
Moen is expected to reopen on Thursday. The company said it would continue to monitor the situation at the New Bern facility. The company maintains it has gone beyond CDC guidelines to “enhance the safety” of the Moen workplace.
“We’d like to thank the employee for staying home when they suspected they may have been ill, and we are hoping for their full recovery. During these times, we have been emphasizing that our employees should stay home if they feel sick. Additionally, we have been offering employees options for taking time off, and we continue to encourage employees to utilize those options,” the company said in its statement.
More from the Sun Journal article here
Posted in Business, Community, Economy and Employment, Health
Though far fewer in numbers than the nation, Craven County’s COVID-19 growth rate (left) is starting to resemble the same trajectory as the nation’s rate (inset, right).
With news of two more cases bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in Craven County to six, the growth rate here is starting to resemble the same trajectory that is characteristic of novel coronavirus outbreaks around the world.
The first four cases in Craven County could be explained as being contracted from outside the community. However, the latest two cases seem to have been contracted from within Craven County. That means the virus is out in the community and could be wide-spread.
It takes several days for symptoms to emerge after contracting COVID-19, during which time the individual is contagious. Symptoms vary widely, from hardly any to life-threatening and deadly.
The purpose of Governor Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order, which took effect at 5 p.m. Monday, is to reduce the chances of people contracting the virus.
However, the order includes a large number of exceptions, ranging from grocery stores and pharmacies, to ABC stores.
On Tuesday morning in New Bern, downtown looked like a ghost town. But along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, traffic was moderate and parking lots, particularly at Walmart, were nearly full.
That indicates a large number of people are potentially exposed to the virus.
Unless the growth trajectory is flattened — using methods like the stay-at-home order — local medical capacity will be quickly overwhelmed.
Federal authorities estimate that COVID-19 will claim at least 100,000 lives across the nation. Stay-at-home loses its effectiveness as more people ignore the order.
Governor Cooper indicated that his executive order applies throughout the state. No county or community can allow relaxed versions of the order. However, counties and communities can issue orders with stricter provisions. That would be up to local leadership.
The situation changes by the hour, and Governor Cooper may decide to strengthen his stay-at-home order. Meanwhile, local leaders are free to issue their own orders strengthening efforts to reduce or prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Posted in Community, Craven County, Health
The fifth and sixth cases of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in Craven County, and constitute Craven County’s first confirmed cases of community transmission.
Community transmission means there is spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown. Both cases are adults who were tested at private physician offices in Craven County.
The tests were sent to LabCorp for testing. These confirmed cases were reported to the Craven County Health Department on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, by state health officials.
The individuals from each case have been in isolation since symptom onset and are recovering at home. Due to patient confidentiality, no additional details about these individuals or where they were tested can be provided.
Craven County public health officials have been in contact with both individuals since notified of the positive test results this morning. These cases are not related, nor are they related to any previous positive cases or to travel.
Craven County Health Department’s Communicable Disease staff is working to conduct contact tracing to make sure everyone who came into close contact with these individuals is quarantined. Close contact is anyone who was within six feet of the individual for 10 minutes or more. While Craven County has had six confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, four of those individuals have recovered, are doing well, and are out of isolation. Only one positive case resulted from the 25 tests completed at the drive-up test site at the Craven County Health Department held March 20, 23 and 25, 2020.
“The fact that we have confirmed community transmission does not change what we should be doing. It does reinforce the need to keep up the social distancing measures, hand washing and six feet of separation when we are out doing essential functions,” stated Scott Harrelson, Craven County Health Director.
Residents who feel they are symptomatic and in need of testing need to call ahead to their primary care physician to receive instructions for how to proceed. Anyone who is symptomatic should not just present at a medical provider’s office without calling ahead first.
Craven County Government COVID-19 updates will appear on the Craven County website at www.cravencountync.gov, on the Craven County Facebook page @cravencounty and the Craven County Twitter account @cravencountync. Residents are also encouraged to register to receive notifications via the Craven County website and to register to receive emergency notifications via text, email and phone calls through the CodeRed Emergency Notification System.
For more information on COVID-19, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health website at https://ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus.
Posted in Community, Craven County, Health, New Bern
The number of COVID-19 cases in Craven County increased to five, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The Craven County Health Department has not issued a news release about this fifth case. This article will be updated once that information is made available.
An employee at Carolina Orthopedics Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy tested positive for COVID-19. Carolina Orthopedics has offices in New Bern and Jacksonville, and a news release from them said the employee’s last day at either of their offices was Friday, March 20, 2020.
The employee is a resident of Pitt County and is recovering at home. It is unknown from information made available so far whether the employee is counted among Craven County’s five cases, Onslow County’s six cases, or Pitt County’s 16 cases.
There has been no information released as to whether the case was contracted from outside the state, or community-spread, and if community-spread, from which county.
The New Bern office is located at 738 Newman Road, New Bern, and the Jacksonville office is located at 201 Williamsburg Parkway, Jacksonville.
The employee has been in isolation since Monday, March 23, 2020, and is recovering at home in Pitt County.
“At Carolina Orthopedics, the safety and well-being of our patients, team members and the communities we serve is our top priority and we are proceeding with an abundance of caution,” the company said.
In response to the employee’s confirmed positive COVID-19 test, Carolina Orthopedics will be closed the week of March 30 through April 3.
“During this closure, we will sanitize and disinfect both of our offices to ensure the health and well-being of our patients, providers and staff,” the company said.
Posted in Business, Community, Craven County, Health
The “Make a Difference Day” event scheduled for Saturday, March 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at 524 Roundtree St. in New Bern, the future site of My Sister’s House, has been cancelled due to recommendations to avoid group events during the current health crisis.
“While we are certainly disappointed to postpone getting started on this special project, our primary concern must be the safety of our volunteers,” said Bonita Simmons, executive director of Tried By Fire, Inc., and the founder of My Sister’s House. “We look forward to providing affordable and supportive transitional housing for up to six women coming out of prison when this house is finally restored to be a home. There will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers to be involved in our Sisters Helping Sisters campaign in the coming months.”
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the volunteer coordinator for My Sisters House by email at coordinatortriedbyfireinc@yahoo.com or call/text to 252-670-1907. Those interested in more information or to make financial or in-kind donations is asked to contact Bonita Simmons at triedbyfire1@yahoo.com or 252-637-2339.
Posted in Community
Downtown restaurants are providing curbside service following emergency orders to shut down dining rooms because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Here, Cashi Miller of Beer Army, left, delivers an order to Marilu Randolph. Photo provided by Swiss Bear Inc.
While some Downtown New Bern restaurants and shops have opted to shut down temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most are still open for business with adjusted hours and a more limited menu to keep it simple for customers.
DSwiss Bear, Inc. is supplementing the shutdown of downtown restaurant dining rooms and bars.
The organization’s website has been transformed into a gift card purchasing directory and most establishments have created curbside and delivery options for customers.
Downtown business owners jumped into action before the call from Governor Cooper was made Tuesday to shut down dining rooms by holding an emergency downtown meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
They began a gift card initiative and discussed options for takeout, including what to do about parking in the event dining in restaurants was temporarily halted.
Swiss Bear Executive Director Lynne Harakal said, “Our downtown community made these preparations in advance to help sustain the downtown business community. Many businesses are still recovering behind the scenes from Hurricane Florence and that is why it is so important to continue buying local.”
The City of New Bern staff worked on Wednesday evening to provide allotted parking spaces for curbside pickup for each business providing the option.
Ward 1 Alderman and local businessowner Sabrina Bengel said, “I’m proud of how quickly our team responded and got this in motion. We will continue to work together and do whatever we can to help our community through this situation.”
Businesses have been grouped together by location and have been given 1-3 spaces for their curbside service. Downtown parking enforcement will continue normal operations, but the spaces for curbside service will be reserved for the foreseeable future.
Swiss Bear is emphasizing that the community is still able to support downtown businesses even if they don’t feel comfortable going out in public by using the gift card program.
Customers can also continue to help their favorite local businesses by shopping online, tipping well, and sharing their posts on social media.
Posted in Activities, Business, Community, Downtown New Bern, Economy, Economy and Employment, Health, Swiss Bear
New Bern Now
