After an alarming holiday surge, Mecklenburg County’s COVID-19 numbers are showing some signs of progress. New cases and hospitalizations are going down, as well as the positivity rate. But Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris says people need to stay vigilant. Also this week, Gov. Roy Cooper extended the statewide curfew for another month. What will this mean for businesses and citizens around North Carolina?
The new, more contagious COVID-19 strain has surfaced in Mecklenburg, and the county is still struggling to find ways to vaccinate everyone who is eligible (including Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who got her first shot this week). Plus, in South Carolina, there are two reports of another new strain first found in South Africa. We'll bring you the latest.
Since Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr says he won’t be running for reelection in 2022, candidates are already lining up, vying for seat. North Carolina Democratic state Sen. Jeff Jackson has announced that he’ll run, along with former Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, former Democratic state Sen. Erica Smith and Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. We’ll talk about the chances for all.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says sports will resume in the system earlier than expected, with some sports coming back as early as Feb. 5. Why the change? The system is also working to support hourly employees during the pandemic by offering 80 hours of emergency leave pay. This will allow employees who can’t work remotely the option to take paid leave until they are called back to work. And CMS leaders are expressing concern this week that kidswith COVID-19 are not being linked back to schools by contact tracing. We’ll discuss.
Charlotte-based Belk says it’s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but the chain promises its stores will stay open.
Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into the week’s top news on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.
Guests:
Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter
Glenn Burkins, founder and publisher of Qcitymetro.com
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter
Annie Ma, education reporter for the Charlotte Observer
