Claire Donnelly

A new "stay at home" order takes effect in Mecklenburg County on Thursday at 8 a.m. It requires residents to stay home except for certain essential activities in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

WFAE received many listener questions about the order so we rounded up some answers.

Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said the county, city and the six towns have agreed to issue a "stay at home" order starting at 8 a.m. Thursday.

Life amid the coronavirus in North Carolina is about to get more restrictive. First, Governor Cooper announced today that the closing of all schools is extended to May 15. And additional businesses. 

The tumult caused by the coronavirus this week has many WFAE listeners writing into our newsroom with questions about the unfolding pandemic. For instance, "Why do news anchors alternate between saying coronavirus and COVID-19?" "Is there a difference between quarentine and isolation?" "What should I do if I think I have the coronavirus?"

Updated 5:10 p.m. 

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is ordering all restaurants and bars in the state to close for dine-in customers as the region scrambles to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Takeout and delivery services will be allowed to continue.

Mecklenburg County reported its first two cases of the novel coronavirus Thursday. Health Department officials said two presumptive positive tests were identified at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, and still need to be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cardinal Innovations Healthcare executives defended themselves before Mecklenburg County commissioners Tuesday following accusations that the managed care organization, which coordinates behavioral health care for 825,000 Medicaid recipients in 20 North Carolina counties, provided inadequate service. 

American Airlines announced Tuesday it’s slashing domestic and international flights over the next few months because of the coronavirus. 

Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in North Carolina on Tuesday as the state has seven presumptive positive coronavirus cases and supplies to test just 300 more people.

Mecklenburg County commissioners are set to meet Tuesday with representatives from Cardinal Innovations Healthcare less than a month after commissioners accused the company of providing inadequate service. The company coordinates behavioral health care for the county’s Medicaid recipients.

North Carolina officials say the state does not have enough test kits for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said at a press conference Friday the supply of kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is running low.  

A second North Carolina person has tested positive for coronavirus, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said Friday. The case is unrelated to the first case identified in the state.

North Carolina’s state laboratory is now able to test for the new coronavirus using kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which Gov. Roy Cooper said will help health officials respond more quickly to suspected cases.

South Carolina is struggling with a problem that exists nationwide — a backlog of rape kits, which are part of an exam used to collect forensic evidence after a sexual assault. Over time, the kits are often lost, but a bill to create a tracking system has bipartisan support by state legislators who are hopeful it will soon become law.

A new option for pain relief in labor is gaining popularity in the United States -- nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. At least five Charlotte-area hospitals now offer it during childbirth.