Feb. 4 coronavirus update; Cooper proposes COVID stimulus
Gov. Cooper at press conference
Feb. 4. The NC Dept. of Health & Human Services reported 5,495 new cases of the coronavirus, up from an adjusted case count of 4,167 yesterday. Some tests performed in December and January were not previously reported, resulting in a spike in yesterdays data.
Today’s total of 150 new deaths was a record.
Cooper stimulus plan
At a 3 pm press conference today, Gov. Cooper called for “immediate” $2,500 bonuses for North Carolina teachers and principals, as well as raising the maximum unemployment benefit from $350 per week to $500 per week.
He also called for 35,000 new internet hotspots across the state.
The governor asked the legislature to take $695 million from the unreserved state General Fund balance to address immediate needs resulting from COVID-19.
“People need help now,” he said.
Details
State funds
—$50 million for continued hazard duty pay for state employees on the frontlines of COVID-19, especially law enforcement and corrections personnel who face COVID-19 every day.
—$64.5 million for the replenishment of the North Carolina State Health Plan, which has incurred costs responding to COVID-19.
—$468 million for bonuses for educators and school personnel in public K-12 schools, community colleges and the university system. Educators have stepped up in extraordinary ways during the pandemic but were not a part of the raises approved in the last biennium for state employees.
—$30 million to extend high-speed internet to all corners of the state and other urgent connectivity initiatives, such as IT infrastructure, security for community colleges and enhancement of 35,000 hotspots used for education.
—$37 million to support small businesses that have suffered during the pandemic and often don’t have large cash reserves, including small business counselling, marketing for tourism and hospitality, ReTOOLNC program for historically underutilized businesses (HUBs), and the business loan program at Golden L.E.A.F.
Federal funds
—Approximately $2 billion for emergency assistance for public and private K-12 schools and higher education institutions.
—$336 million for childcare and development block grants.
—Approximately $700 million for access to vaccines and testing, tracing and prevention measures to slow the spread of the virus.
—$546 million for emergency rental assistance, which will build on North Carolina’s current work.
—$258 million for Highway Infrastructure and $65 million for airports.
—$47 million for Community Mental Health Services.
Funding for food assistance programs, such as SNAP and school nutrition..
Hospitalizations
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 fell to 2,630 today, the lowest number in weeks.
Median: One week vs one month
In spite of yesterday’s one-time increase in new cases, the median number during the past week is still down. Based on data from Johns Hopkins University, the volume of new cases during the past seven days is down 5 percent compared to the volume over the past 31 days.
We used medians to compare: 6,490 new cases per day over the past month, vs 6,168 new cases over the past week to arrive at a 4.96 percent decline.
Deaths
There were 150 new deaths statewide attributable to the coronavirus, 16 more than yesterday. There have been a total of 9,728 deaths due to the coronavirus since the outbreak began in North Carolina 11 months ago.
There were one new death in Davidson.
There have been a total of 783 COVID-related deaths in Mecklenburg since the beginning of the outbreak.
Testing
The statewide positive test rate is at 7.2 percent, while the positive test rate in Mecklenburg was 11.1 percent in today’s report.
North Mecklenburg
Cornelius: 9 new cases, 2,260 cumulative; 21 deaths total.
Davidson: 18 new cases, 1,260 cumulative; 14 deaths total.
Huntersville: 29 new cases, 4,634 cumulative; 43 deaths total.
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In term “educators” being paid hundreds of thousand more:
What ADDITIONAL have the done for our children to warrant more money than the already get?
They’have bare done the job for which they get paid grnerously.;taken multiple weeks off but still getting paid!
A Job I’d like. Must be nice to be on Cooper’s payroll;;, paid with OTHER PEOPLES’ money.
So you have not been a teacher? And your going to say they haven’t done their job and get paid generously? Do you know what it has been like for teachers what they deal with each and every day. I am not a teacher but know several. They go teach at school all day to go home and still have to work answering endless emails till all hours of the night of parents yelling and screaming because little Johnny is failing. And why is he failing? Oh it is not because little Johnny didn’t do his work and decided not to attend class or attended class and did nothing no no no it must be the teachers fault. To top that of grading papers and preparing class work all takes up almost all night and then it is go to bed to wake up to the she thing tomorrow. Paid generously? What I’d generously? What 30 something thousand a year when your 4 year college degree monthly payments are 300 to 400 per month? So go half 350 and times that by 12 for a yearly cost of 4550. Oh wait so if you make 35k starting out your now down to 30,450 and that is not including tax deductions and what not. So they are working 12 to 14 hour days sometimes more which again if you do the math at working say just 12 hours a day at the low end and compute it they are making $9.75 per hour. OMG that is generous pay. So crazy they get paid so much to do nothing but dealing with kids and their parents till all hours of the night is nothing. Teachers teach the kids of our country who grow up to be leaders of our country and they take crap from everyone all to make 9.75 per hour. Oh but I see what your saying I get it teachers are over paid for barley doing their job.
Did teachers and principals ever lose a paycheck? Yet Cooper wants to give them bonuses. What about the small business owners? They are the ones that need assistance due to the shutdowns. The well is not bottonless. Use it wisely.
So true!! What about firefighters, paramedics and nurses who are on the front line and not teaching from home!
Just another great plan from our worthless Governor. Teachers, principals are you kidding me? I don’t want my tax dollars going for those rediculous things. Front line workers deserve help they are in the trenches everyday not working over a computer screen. Small businesses that were needlessly shut down deserve help. Teachers/administrators NO!
Yeah, and Strippers, they are the essential workers who are really at high risk, where are their bonuses?
Teaching from home? That is a per county decision. Lincoln county as well as several other counties have been at full school 5 days a week for the whole school year. Bonuses? Teachers are way underpaid for the work they do. They work 12 to 14 hour days easily. You think their job stops when they get home. No, it is answering angry parents emails, grading papers, getting class work together for the next day. All to make 35k starting out if computed is roughly 11 dollars an hour. And that is before taxing out taxes and oh wait monthly student loans which range from 200 to 400 per month. Yes, firefighters, paramedics & nursed deserve it to but teachers deserve it just as much. No I am not a teacher i just know several and see what they go through.
I agree. What about bus drivers that aren’t getting paid because kids aren’t in school? Cafeteria, custodians. Teacher assistants?
Cooper is just paying off the teachers, it a black mail and payment to tell them to do there jobs. What about the small business and police officers, firefighters, paramedics. hello teachers do your job.