Craven County Schools has released new guidelines for the return of staff and students to in-person learning next week.
On Tuesday, January 19, elementary students will return under Plan A on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Middle school and high school students will return under Plan B based on the schedule at their assigned schools. Wednesday’s will remain remote learning days for all schools.
Plan A calls for elementary students to return to classrooms four days each week with minimal social distancing. Class sizes will return to pre-COVID-19 numbers of students in each room. Middle and high school students under the Plan B hybrid learning option will return to the classroom one day a week.
Nohora Bejarano receives her COVID-19 vaccination during a drive-through clinic run by Atrium Health in Charlotte on Tuesday morning. Photo: Atrium Health
Since North Carolina received its first allocation of the vaccine against COVID-19, North Carolina Health News has been inundated with queries from readers as to where they can find information on getting vaccinated.
As of early January, the state is in the early phases of the vaccine rollout, vaccinating people in groups 1a, which is health care workers fighting COVID-19 and long-term care staff and residents, and 1b, adults 75 years or older and frontline essential workers.
As manufacturing and distribution speed up, the state will proceed into different phases. Some counties will move into different phases at different times depending on the number of health care workers, older adults, prisoners, teachers and other priority groups.
Editor’s note: This story is No. 1 in a series looking at the top 10 stories of 2020 for the Sun Journal, counting down from 10 to 1 from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1.
As it did both nationally and globally, the Novel Coronavirus - COVID-19 – impacted nearly every aspect of life in Craven County, becoming the worst public health crisis in at least a century.
From the hospital and school system, to restaurants, hotels and retailers, the virus closed, confused, and complicated the county’s health, education and business infrastructure in ways never before seen.
The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Craven County on March 14 and its second on March 19. By late March, the Craven County Health Department had confirmed the first incidences of community transmission.
COVID-19 update for Craven County as of Dec. 21
The Craven County Health Department has reported that Craven County has 4,432 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of 1:00 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2020. Of the newest cases, 30 were confirmed on Dec. 18, 2020, 29 on Dec. 19, 2020, 118 on Dec. 20, 2020, and 11 today. Out of the 4,432 confirmed positive cases, 3,547 of those individuals have recovered or are presumed recovered based on guidelines set by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Of the 4,432 cases, 37 have been related to out of state travel, 862 are from community transmission, 2,375 are a direct contact with a previously confirmed positive case, 626 are still being investigated, and 532 are unknown. There have been 82 deaths related to COVID-19. Fourteen of the active COVID-19 cases are currently hospitalized.
COVID-19 update for Craven County as of Dec. 17
The Craven County Health Department has reported that Craven County has 4,135 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of noon Dec. 17, 2020. Out of the 4,135 confirmed positive cases, 3,333 of those individuals have recovered or are presumed recovered based on guidelines set by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Of the 4,135 cases, 37 have been related to out of state travel, 832 are from community transmission, 2,292 are a direct contact with a previously confirmed positive case, 576 are still being investigated, and 398 are unknown. There have been 80 deaths related to COVID-19. Twenty of the active COVID-19 cases are currently hospitalized.