82 new COVID-19 cases reported in South Carolina; DHEC predicts 8,000+ cases by May 424 cases in 39 counties as of Wednesday Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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TODAY NORTH CAROLINA REPORTED ITS FIRST COVID-19 RELATED DEATH. STATE OFFICIALS SAY A PERSON IN THEIR LATE WITH SEVERE 70’S UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS DIED IN CABARRUS COUNTY. THEY ALSO SAY A SECOND PERSON TRAVELING FROM VIRGINIA ALSO DIED IN NORTH CAROLINA DUE TO COMPLICATIONS. RIGHT NOW THERE ARE 504 POSITIVE CASES OUT OF NORTH CAROLINA. OFFICIALS SAY THE STATE HAS COMPLETED OVER 10,000 TESTS. NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR ROY COOPER SPOKE EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON SAYING THAT THERE WILL LIKELY BE MORE DEATHS IN THE STATE FROM COVID-19. >> TODAY IS A STARK REMINDER THAT WE MUST TAKE THIS DISEASE SERIOUSLY. ALL OF US, YOUNG AND OLD, EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES. THIS VIRUS CAN BE DEADLY. THAT’S WHY THAT’S WHY OUR DAILY LIVES HAVE HAD TO CHANGE SO DRAMATICALLY. GABBY: EMERGENCY LEADERS SAY THE STATE HAS ORDERED A TOTAL OF $65 MILLION IN PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, OR PPE, TO HELP THE PEOPLE FIGHTING THIS VIRUS ON THE FRONT LINES. BUNCOMBE COUNTY OFFICIALS ARE ORDERING PEOPLE TO STAY AT HOME. THE STAY AT HOME ORDER GOES INTO EFFECT TOMORROW NIGHT AT 8:00. OFFICIALS SAY IT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 6:00 IN THE MORNING ON THURSDAY, APRIL 9. PEOPLE MAY ONLY LEAVE THEIR HOUSES FOR ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES. THAT INCLUDES, GOING TO THE DOCTOR, GETTING MEDICAL SUPPLIES, GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE, TAKING CARE OF OTHERS, OR GOING TO WORK THAT IS DEEMED ESSENTIAL. SOUTH CAROLINA’S DHEC ALSO REPORTING MORE CORONAVIRUS CASES TONIGHT. THERE ARE 424 CASES OF COVID-19, IN 39 COUNTIES ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA. THAT NUMBER HAS INCREASED BY OVER 80 CASES. SEVEN PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN CONNECTION TO THE CORONAVIRUS. OFFICIALS SAY OVER 2000 HAVE TESTED NEGATIVE FOR THE VIRUS. DHEC IS NOW PROJECTING CASES NUMBERS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKS. YOU CAN SEE ON THE GRAPH, DHEC IS PROJECTING THE NUMBERS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE FOR WEEKS . DHEC IS PROJECTING NUMBERS TO GET UP TO 8,000 BY MAY. GOVERNOR HARRY MAKE MASTER PUT OUT A -- HENRY MCMASTER PUT OUT A REQUEST ON TWITTER TODAY ASKING THAT ANY OUT OF STATE VISITORS TO SOUTH CAROLINA PLANNING A STAY OF TWO OR MORE NIGHTS, TO SELF QUARANTINE FOR TWO WEEKS AS SOON AS THEY ARRIVE. THERE ARE 40 DEATHS RELATED TO COVID-19 IN GEORGIA. THAT’S UP BY TWO DEATHS SINCE YESTERDAY AND 1,247 POSITIVE CASES. OFFICIALS SAY THAT NUMBER OF CASES INCREASED BY 150 PEOPLE IN NEARLY 24 HOURS. GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP ORDERED BARS AND CLUBS TO CLOSE TO STOP THE SPREAD. NIGEL: THE BMW PLANT IN SPARTANBURG COUNTY WILL CLOSE EARLIER THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED. OFFICIALS SAY THE FACILITY WILL BE CLOSED FOR TWO WEEKS STARTING ON SUNDAY MARCH 29 THROUGH SUNDAY APRIL 12. THE COMPANY ADDED THAT THEY ARE CONTINUING TO “MONITOR THE ONGOING SITUATION VERY CLOSELY AND ADJUST OUR PLANS AS CIRCUMSTANCES DICTATE." GABBY: STARTING AT 11:00 TONIGHT, GREENVILLE’S CURFEW GOES INTO EFFECT. OFFICIALS SAY THIS IS TO HELP PROMOTE SOCIAL DISTANCING. THE CURFEW APPLIES TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA. IT STARTS AT 11:00 TONIGHT, AND GOES UNTIL 6:00 A.M. IT DOES NOT APPLY TO PEOPLE GOING TO AND FROM WORK, OR IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. MAYOR KNOX WHITE SAYS THE CURFEW EXPIRES AFTER 60 DAYS. NIGEL: AS COVID-19 CONTINUES TO IMPACT COMMUNITIES, SOME UPSTATE CHARITY GROUPS ARE GATHERING SUPPLIES TO HELP THE HOMELESS AND OTHERS ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE RIGHT NOW. MIRACLE HILL MINISTRIES GATHERING FOOD, CLOTHING AND TOILETRIES FOR THOSE IN UPSTATE HOMELESS SHELTERS. SKY 4 IS GIVING YOU AN EXCLUSIVE SHOT OVER PALMETTO RESTAURANT AND ALE HOUS GREENVILLE COUNTY COUNCILMAN, RICK ROBERTS, HELPED ORGANIZE THE DRIVE AFTER PEOPLE KEPT ASKING HOW THEY COULD HELP NEIGHBORS IN NEED. >> EITHER WE TAKE CARE OF FAMILY MEMBERS IN NEED, YOUR NEIGHBORS, REACHING OUT IN ANYWAY YOU CAN, BECAUSE BY THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK IT WILL BE LOCAL EFFORTS, MUCH LIKE A NATURAL DISASTER. I GUESS THIS IS A NATURAL DISASTER, BUT WE SEE THAT WITH HURRICANES AND FLOODS AND STORMS. THIS HAS SOME SIMILAR COMPONENTS TO IT. NIGEL: DROP-OFF SITES FOR DONATIONS ARE AT PALMETTO RESTAURANT AND ALE HOUSE IN GREENVILLE AND SOUTHSIDE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN SIMPSONVILLE. WE HAVE A FULL LIST OF SUPPLIES THEY NEED ON OUR WEBSITE AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA. GABBY: RIGHT NOW, THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS HAS PUT RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE ON LAKE HARTWELL TO REDUCE THE POSSIBLE SPREAD OF COVID-19. OUR ALLEN DEVLIN HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS STORY AND JOINS US NOW WITH WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, ALLEN? REPORTER: GABBY, SOME ASPECTS OF RECREATION ON LAKE HARTWELL STILL POSSIBLE. OTHERS SHUT DOWN INDEFINITELY, BUT IT’S ALL TEMPORARY AND WITH PUBLIC SAFETY IN MIND. SO RIGHT NOW BOATING AND FISHING AND MOST BOAT RAMPS ARE STILL OPEN BUT BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK CAMPGROUNDS, DAY USE AREAS, PUBLIC FACILITIES, VISITOR CENTERS, BATHROOMS, AND PICNIC SHELTERS ON LAKE HARTWELL ARE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. OFFICIALS SAY THESE RESTRICTIONS COME TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO ENJOY THE LAKE WHILE PREVENTING LARGE GATHERINGS THAT COULD HELP FACILITATE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRU >> IN THESE TIMES, WE ARE URGING PEOPLE TO FOLLOW THE NATIONAL POLICY OF STAYING AT HOM HOWEVER, IF THEY FEEL LIKE THEY CAN GET OUT AND DO THINGS, OUR BOAT RAMPS ARE OPEN, PEOPLE ARE STILL BOATING, PEOPLE ARE STILL FISHING FROM THEIR BANKS OR FROM THEIR BOATS, ALL OF THAT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS LONG AS THEY STAY OUR OF THE CLOSED AREAS. NIGEL: -- REPORTER: BIRDWELL ADDS THAT AS SOON AS STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY IT IS SAFE, THOSE FACILITIES WILL GRADUALLY BEGIN TO OPEN BACK UP TO THE PUBLIC. BUT OF COURSE RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO TIMELINE ON WHEN THAT MAY HAPPEN. OFFICIALS ADD THAT IF YOU DO COME OUT TO ENJOY A DAY ON THE WATER, YOU STILL PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET. FROM LAKE HARTWELL, ALLEN DEVLIN, WYFF NEWS NIGEL: THREE OF THE COUNTRY’S BEST-KNOWN NATIONAL PARKS HAVE CLOSED THEIR GATES DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. YELLOWSTONE, GRAND TETON AND GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARKS HAVE JOINED A GROWING LIST OF PARKS THAT ARE NOW CLOSED IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS. SO FAR THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HAS CLOSED AT LEAST A DOZEN PARK SITES AND MODIFIED OPERATIONS AT MANY OTHERS. GABBY: AROUND THE WORLD, THE DEATH TOLL FROM THE CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO RISE. IN SPAIN, THE COUNTRY RECORDED ANOTHER 738 DEATHS. THE WORST SINGLE DAY SINCE THE EPIDEMIC HIT THERE. SPAIN’S TOTAL NUMBER OF REPORTED DEATHS IS NOW ABOVE 3400, SECOND IN THE WORLD ONLY TO ITALY. AND THE OVERALL NUMBER OF COVID-19 CASES IN SPAIN SOARED TO MORE THAN 47,000. SPANISH CIVIL GUARD UNITS HAVE BEEN SETTING UP TENTS FOR CORONAVIRUS TESTING STATIONS. MEMBERS OF THE SPANISH MILITARY HAVE BEEN DISINFECTING NURSING HOMES, HEALTH CENTERS AND PUBL SPACES TO TRY TO FIGHT THE SPREAD. THINGS ARE STARTING TO RETURN TO NORMAL IN CHINA’S HUBEI PROVINCE, WHERE OFFICIALS SAY THE CORONAVIRUS ORIGINATED. AUTHORITIES ARE LIFTING SOME OF THE RESTRICTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR TWO MONTHS. TRAFFIC CONTROLS ARE STARTING TO EASE AND OFFICIALS SAY THE LOCKDOWN IN WUHAN WILL BE LIFTED ON APRIL EIGHTH. AUTHORITIES HAVE CONTINUED TO IMPOSE TOUGHER SCREENINGS AND QUARANTINES IN OTHER PARTS OF CHINA. NIGEL: THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE SAYS THE POSTPONED TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES COULD BE HELD AS EARLY AS THE SPRING OF 2021. IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH SPOKE TODAY AT THE ORGANIZATION’S HEADQUARTERS IN SWITZERLAND. HE SAID THE DECISION TO POSTPONE THE OLYMPIC GAMES THIS SUMMER BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC WAS "VERY HARD TO TAKE," BUT ADDED THAT THE OLYMPICS MUST BE HELD BEFORE THE END OF SUMMER 2021. BUT THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY RESTRICTED TO SUMMER MONTHS. >> FIRST OF ALL, WE HAD TO CONSIDER THE DREAMS OF THE OLYMPIC ATHLETES, WHICH WE WANTED TO MAKE COMING TRUE ON THE OTHER HAND, WE WERE FEELING ALONG WITH MANY PEOPLE AROUND THIS GLOBE WHOSE LIFE IS AFFECTED IN A VERY DIFFICULT WAY, WHERE YOU COULD HARDLY THEN HAVE AN OLYMPIC GAMES IN THIS ATMOSPHERE. OFFICIALS ALSO SAID THE DECISION -- NIGEL: OFFICIALS ALSO SAID THE DECISION ON RESCHEDULING THE GAMES IS DIFFICULT, BECAUSE IT INVOLVES THE CALENDARS OF 33 INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS. WITH THE 2020 TOKYO OLYMPICS NOW OFFICIALLY POSTPONED, ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS GOING FORWARD IS HOW MUCH WILL THIS ALL COST? AND WHO WILL PAY FOR IT? THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE YET. HOWEVER, ONE FINANCIAL OUTLET IN JAPAN ESTIMATED THE ADDED COST FROM THE DELAY WILL BE $2.7 BILLIO THOSE FIGURES TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ISSUES. SUCH AS THE COSTS FOR EXTENDING LEASES ON VENUES, MAINTENANCE ON THOSE FACILITIES, AND ORGANIZING COMMITTEE STAFFING JUST TO NAME A FEW. GABBY: STILL AHEAD, OUR JEFF ROSSEN IS ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS, INCLUDING, WITH THE WEATHER WARMING UP, CAN YOU SWIM IN A COMMUNITY POOL DURING THE OUTBREAK? THAT’S COMING UP IN OUR NEXT HALF HOUR. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF RESOURCES FOR YOU ON WYFF4.COM, AS WELL AS OUR FREE MOBILE APP. YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR THE CORONAVIRUS NEWSLETTER. JUST HEAD TO WYFF4.COM AND A RED BOX WILL POP UP ASKING IF YOU’D LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE UPDA

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