RALEIGH, N.C. (WAVY) – During the Friday coronavirus briefing, Governor Cooper announced that schools k-12 will continue remote learning for the remainder of the school year.
Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools will continue instruction “From the Classroom to the Cloud” and meal services will continue.
ECPPS Board of Education Chair, Dr. Denauvo Robinson, and Superintendent, Dr. Catherine Edmonds, will hold a community live-stream update on Monday, April 27 at 10:30 a.m. which will be recorded to the website.
Summer schools and summer camps are still in discussion and information will be provided at a later date. Decisions will be made after evaluating data and assessing the safety of the students and the sate of North Carolina.
Cooper also announced he is releasing a proposed budget for North Carolina that directs $1.4 billion in federal money to help the state from the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund.
The budget is intended to fund immediate needs in three main areas: public health and safety, continuity of operations for education and other state government services, and assistance to small businesses and local governments.
Additionally, the option is available for select students in early grades and that have special requirements to begin school earlier in the school year as part of the re-entry stage welcoming students back into schools.
Nursing homes continue to be a top priority in battling the virus
Two partnerships have also been announced that will allow for more hotspots for students:
- Partnership with AT&T providing 100 school bus hotpots
- The Duke Energy partnership is providing 80 bus hotspots
More information will be shared with school districts regarding the announcement today and we will be sure to communicate the information as quickly as possible.
As for the daily coronavirus numbers update, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports that the state has more than 8,000 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, as of April 24.
More than 100,000 coronavirus tests have been completed in North Carolina since the start of the pandemic, according to NCDHHS. There are now 8,052 confirmed cases of the virus.
A total of 269 deaths are being blamed on the virus, which is an increase of 16 from the previous day’s numbers, and there are 477 current hospitalizations.
Seven counties do not have any confirmed cases of the virus – Camden, Hyde, Graham, Swain, Madison, Yancey and Avery. Mecklenburg County has reported the highest county number, with 1,407 confirmed cases.
Data shows 85% of COVID-19-related deaths across the state are patients 65 or older. No one under the age of 25 has died in connection with the virus.
Here’s the current county-by-county breakdown in the WAVY TV viewing area:
- Bertie County: 33 cases, 1 death (2 new cases)
- Chowan County: 6 cases, 0 deaths
- Currituck County: 2 cases, 0 deaths
- Dare County: 12 cases, 1 death (1 new case)
- Gates County: 6 cases, 0 deaths
- Hertford County: 17 cases, 1 death (3 new cases)
- Northampton County: 79 cases, 3 deaths (5 new cases, 1 new death)
- Pasquotank County: 34 cases, 1 death (1 new case)
- Perquimans County: 10 cases, 0 death (2 new cases)
Gov. Roy Cooper has another planned COVID-19 live briefing planned for Friday at 2 p.m. WAVY News 10 will carry it live online at this link.
On Thursday, the governor extended his stay-at-home order until May 8.
Today, he is expected to provide an update pertaining to schools. There will be education leaders at the briefing.
