North Carolina's March 18 coronavirus briefing: Not ruling out shelter-in-place order

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State officials in a March 18 COVID-19 briefing said they are not ruling out a shelter-in-place order, now consider pregnant women a high-risk group and are not sure how many people infected with the virus have been hospitalized, though some have recovered.

Those statements and a range of others on the coronavirus pandemic were made during a 2 p.m. press conference with state health, emergency and law enforcement officials.

Asked by a reporter about whether North Carolina would mandate curfews or order  people to shelter in place — meaning staying at home except for limited circumstances — State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Tilson said they were not ruling it out.

"This is rapidly evolving. You will see we have not been shy in having different escalating - or different guidances. So, if and when we have different guidance, we will be sure that people know that as soon as we have made that decision," Tilson said.

That has happened in the San Francisco Bay area where 7 million residents have been ordered to stay home. 

Answering another question, Tilson said health officials recently determined pregnant women should take the same precautions as people 65 and older and with underlying health conditions.

"Don’t go out, making sure that you are doing the social distancing, washing your hands really well — all the same recommendations we are having for other people in the high-risk category," she said.

In other back-and-forths with reporters, Tilson said the state does not know how many people have been hospitalized, but that people have recovered from the viral infection. That is because there have been no reported deaths, yet the first case in the state was reported March 4. A person is considered recovered if seven days after the onset of symptoms they go 72 hours without symptoms, she said.

"The vast majority of people are going to get through this fine."

Other highlights of the press conference:

- As of 2 p.m. March 18 there were 63 cases in the state in 18 counties with more than 1,800 tests have been done. Exact test numbers are less clear because of the uptick in university and commercial labs testing. Those institutions are required to report positive tests, but not negatives.

- N.C. Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry said the state has no plans to close grocery stores and that supply chains are strong. He urged people not to stockpile or panic buy, in part because it can make it difficult for older people and others who have difficulty getting to stores.

- Don’t call 911 about nonemergency COVID-19 calls, Sprayberry said. Many people have. Intead call 211.

- Sprayberry said Gov. Roy Cooper,  has asked for a disaster declaration from the Small Business Administration. It would give loans up to $2 million with a 30-year payback period. Businesses would pay a 3.75% interest rate with a 2.75% rate for nonprofits.

- Attorney General Josh Stein warned of fraud and scams. His office had received 136 price gouging complaints, half of which had to do with groceries. The number two complaint was about hand sanitizer, followed by cleaning products. Stein said his office is in the process of investigating the claims, but so far have found no evidence anyone broke the state law against "unreasonably excessive" prices. He said there are times retailers have legitimate reasons for raising prices, such as when it becomes more expensive to obtain a product. To file a complaint call (877)-5-NO-SCAM.

- Also Stein said there are products being sold falsely claiming cures, as well as an increase in phishing and telemarketing robocall attempts, and false charity calls. He encouraged people with concerns to call about these cases. For robocalls: (844)-8-NO-ROBO. All other concerns: (877)-5-NO-SCAM.

- One particular scam people have experienced, he said, is a caller claiming to be from the local health department telling residents they've come in contact with someone with the infection and they can’t leave their homes without a test. The caller then offers a test for sale.

- The state at this time is not looking to stop all elective surgeries, Tilson said. Asked whether retired doctors and nurses would be asked to help, the state medical director said many possibilities were being considered.

- There have been disruptions in the supply chain for masks and other personal protective equipment, Sprayberry said. Priority has gone to health care workers then first responders.

Asked if schools would stay closed longer than two weeks, Tilson did not rule it out, saying closing them was a very difficult decision and that state leaders were continuing to assess the situation. 

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force.