Guilford County courthouses closing after multiple employees test positive for COVID-19 -Salem

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WE’RE LEARNING MORE TONIGHT ABOUT THE STATE OF COVID-19 IN FORSYTH COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR. JOSHUA’S SWIFT SPOKE WITH THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON AND JUST WRAPPED UP A CALL WITH REPORTERS AS WELL. HE SAID SEVERAL TIMES THAT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS BEING STRATEGIC WITH ITS APPROACH TO THE VIRUS. WE ASKED HIM EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANS. HE SAYS IT’S ABOUT IDENTIFYING PEOPLE WHO NEED TESTING GOING ON TO CLARIFY THAT PEOPLE WHO FALL INTO VARIOUS HIGH-RISK CATEGORIES WORK IN JOBS WHERE IT’S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SOCIAL DISTANCE OR HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED THOSE ARE SOME OF THE GROUPS THAT THEY’RE FOCUSING IN ON RIGHT NOW. WE SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE AN INCREASE IN TESTING SITES IN THE TWO SEVEN ONE ZERO FIVE AREA OF THE COUNTY SWIFT SAYS HE HOPES TO GET THOSE SITES UP AND RUNNING BY THE MIDDLE TO THE LATTER PART OF THIS MONTH WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOLS SWIFT SAYS IT’S A BIT TOO EARLY TO TELL BUT A SCHOOL NURSE SUPERVISOR RIGHT NOW IS WORKING WITH THE DISTRICTS WITH REMINDED THE COMMUNITY AGAIN, COVID-19 NEEDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY WEARING A MASK. NOT ONLY PROTECTS YOUR THIS BUT IT PROTECTS YOUR NEIGHBORS AS WELL. AND IF EVERYONE DOES IT EVERYONE WILL PROTECT EACH OTHER FOR A FOURTH DAY IN A ROW OF THE STATE IS SETTING A RECORD FOR THE NUMBER OF NORTH CAROLINIANS IN THE HOSPITAL FIGHTING COVID-19 RIGHT NOW. THERE ARE EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWELVE PATIENTS IN THE HOSPITAL. IT STATES REPORTING MORE THAN 39,000 CASES, BUT AT LEAST 23,000 PEOPLE ARE PRESUMD TO HAVE RECOVERED. GOVERNOR ROY COOPER SAYS, HE DOES NOT HAVE THE CORONAVIRUS. HE TOOK A TEST EARLIER THIS WEEK, BUT BECAUSE HE SAYS HE WAS IN A CROWD. LAST WEEK DURING A PROTEST. THE GOVERNOR SAYS HE NEVER HAD ANY SYMPTOMS BUT STILL ENCOURAGES ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN IN A CROWD OR AT A PROTEST TO GET TESTED AS SOON AS THEY CAN YOU CAN FIND A LIST OF OUR TESTING SITES AND FULL COUNTY-BY-COUNTY BREAKDOWN OF CASES RIGHT NOW ON OUR WEBSITE WXII12.COM. THIS IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE FREE WXII 12 NEWS MOBILE APP A SPEEDWAY IS SHUT DOWN AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING THIS COMES AFTER NORTH CAROLINA’S HEALTH OFFICIALS OFFICIALS RATHER ISSUED AN ABATEMENT ORD AND JUST HOURS AGO WERE GRANTED AT PRAIRIE RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST THE CHECK FOR VIOLATING THE GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT LIMIT CROWD SIZES. THEY BE EXERCISED JUST INSURER HAS THE STORY FOR US FROM ALAMANCE COUNTY. AND A LAWYER FOR THE TWO MEN WHO RUN RACES OVER AT A SPEEDWAY SAYS THAT HIS CLIENTS RIGHTS ARE BEING INFRINGED UPON WHILE THE STATE SAYS THE SPEEDWAY OPERATING AS IS IS IN IMMINENT HEALTH THREAT JUST HOURS AFTER LAWYERS FOR THE TWO SIDES LAID OUT THEIR OWN RESPECTIVE ARGUMENTS. THE DECISION WAS MADE THE APPROPRIATE RULING IS I’M GOING TO GRANT A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER ATTORNEY CHUCK KITCHEN REPRESENTS JASON AND ROBERT TURNER WHO HE SAYS RUN THE RACES AT A SPEEDWAY KITCHEN ARE THAT IS CLIENTS WERE NEVER NAMED NEVER SERVED AND WE’RE NOT IN VIOLATION OF THE ABATEMENT ORDER STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS ISSUED TUESDAY. HE BELIEVES HIS CLIENTS ARE BEING SINGLED OUT. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT. YOU ARE FIGHTING THE STATE AND YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE JUST A PERSON IN ALAMANCE COUNTY TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING THAT STUFF ON IT KITCHEN ALSO SAYS THAT HIS CLIENTS MET WITH THE SHERIFF A COUNTY COMMISSIONER AND THE LOCAL HEALTH DIRECTOR AND TOOK APPROPRIATE STEPS TO KEEP THE RACES SAFE. HE SAYS OTHER TRACK ARE OPERATING AND DOES NOT THINK THAT THE RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE ARE REASONABLE WHAT THEY CAN’T DO IS SAY WE’LL ONLY HAVE 25 PEOPLE IN THE STANDS FOR 25 PEOPLE ALL TOGETHER. SIMPLY IS NOT REASONABLE. IT SHUTS THEM DOWN SPECIAL COUNSEL AND YOUR CASPER WHO IS REPRESENTING. THE STATE SAYS THE SPEEDWAY CLEARLY VIOLATED THE TERMS OF THE ABATEMENT ORDER AND POSES A SERIOUS AND IMMEDIATE RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH IF RACES CONTINUE THE WAY THEY ARE THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF A SPEEDWAY IS AND I QUOTE AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO HUMAN LIFE. AND AGAIN, I QUOTE AN IMMEDIATE THREAT OF SERIOUS ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS CASPER ALSO SAYS THE SEVERAL FEATURES OF THE RACEWAY INCREASE THE RISK OF COVID-19 SPREADING FROM PEOPLE GATHERING IN LARGE CROWDS TO PEOPLE YELLING AND CHEERING CLOSE TOGETHER. HE SAYS THE RACE IS SHOULD STOP UNTIL THEY COMPLY WITH THE EXECUTIVE ORDER. THERE IS A RISK OF IRREPARABLE HARM IF THE RACE IS OCCURRING THIS SATURDAY, THERE WAS A HIGH RISK OF TRANSMISSION AND IN THE MEANTIME THE JUDGE SAYS THERE WILL NO RACES AT THE SPEEDWAY UNTIL THE NEXT HEARING WHICH IS SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 19TH IN ALAMANCE COUNTY. JUSTIN SCHREYER WXII 12 NEWS. THANKS, JUSTIN A SPEEDWAY PUT OUT A STATEMENT ON ITS FACEBOOK PAGE ANNOUNCING TODAY’S PRACTICE IS CANCELLED. IT’S EVENT ON FRI