CONCERNED ABOUT AND WE'LL TALK
ABOUT THE NEXT BIG SYSTEM ON THE
WAY.
SCHOOLS ACROSS NORTH
CAROLINA CLOSED BACK ON MARCH
16th BECAUSE OF CORONAVIRUS, AND
NOW GOVERNOR COOPER MADE THE
DECISION TO CLOSE SCHOOLS FOR
THE REST OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR.
THEY MADE THAT DIFFICULT
DECISION YESTERDAY.
CHANNEL 9
EYEWITNESS NEWS EDUCATION
REPORTER ELSA GILLIS HAS MORE ON
THAT TOUGH CALL AND WHAT NEXT
SCHOOL YEAR COULD LOOK LIKE.
Reporter: IT'S A DIFFICULT
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MANY PEOPLE TO
I DID GIANT AND THERE ARE STILL
MANY CHALLENGES AND THE ANSWER
WHETHER OR NOT WE RETURN TO
SCHOOL IS SOMETHING FAMILIES
NEEDED TO KNOW.
WE SHOULD JUST TAKE IT
STEP-BY-STEP.
Reporter: GREGORY MITCHELL IS
ONE OF THOUSANDS IN THE THICK OF
THIS ODD NEW REALITY AND
TEACHING HIS CHILD FROM HOME.
IT'S GOING THERE.
THE TEACHERS AT SCHOOL,
THEY'RE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB.
Reporter: HIS WIFE IS ALSO A
TEACHER.
LOVES HER JOB.
SHE'S PROBABLY
WORKING HARDER NOW.
Reporter: HE SAYS HE AGREES
WITH THE DECISION TO KEEP
SCHOOLS CLOSED THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY THE
PRUDENT MOVE.
THE OPENING OF SCHOOLS IN THE
SUMMER AND FALL AND THE
AVAILABILITY OF SUMMER CAMPS ARE
GOING TO DEPEND ON MEETING
HEALTH GUIDELINES THAT WILL BE
ESTABLISHED LATER.
Reporter: THE GOVERNOR SAID
HE HAS CONFIDENCE THEY'LL REOPEN
SCHOOLS SAFELY NEXT SCHOOL YEAR
WITH NEW MEASURES IN PLACE.
MANY STUDENTS WILL NEED
ADDITIONAL HELP TO REGAIN GROUND
THAT COULD BE LOST IN THE SCHOOL
YEAR.
FOR THAT, THEY ARE WORKING
ON A JUMP START PROGRAM AND AS
DISTRICTS CONTINUE TO SERVE
MEALS AND GET KIDS INTERNET
DEVICES AND ACCESS HE MADE IT
CLEAR REMOTE LEARNING WILL
CONTINUE THE REST OF THE SCHOOL
YEAR.
CLASSROOMS MAY BE CLOSED, BUT
THE LEARNING IS NOT OVER.
THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS
PLANNING FOR IN THE NEXT SCHOOL
YEAR IS UNDERWAY AND WE EXPECT
ANNOUNCEMENTS NEXT WEEK.
ON THE
LATEST NUMBERS SO FAR MORE THAN
100,000 PEOPLE IN NORTH CAROLINA
GOT TESTED FOR CORONAVIRUS, BUT
MORE THAN 8,000 TESTING
POSITIVE.
THE STATE SAYS 269
PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM THE VIRUS.
MECKLENBURG COUNTY IS AT 1,400
POSITIVE CASES AND SOUTH
CAROLINA, WHERE GOVERNOR
McMASTER BEGAN EASING
RESTRICTIONS 47,000 PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN TESTED AND 5,000 OF THOSE
TESTS CAME OUT POSITIVE AND
THERE ARE 157 DEATH THERE IS AND
STILL THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF
CASES IN SOUTH CAROLINA OUT OF
OUR COUNTIES THERE WITH 172.
A STATISTIC THAT ISN'T BEING
COUNTED HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA
IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE
RECOVERED FROM CORONAVIRUS ARE
CORONAVIRUS.
THE STATE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT SECRETARY SAYS THE
CDC HASN'T HASN'T SET CRITERIA.
NORTH CAROLINA AND OTHER STATES
ARE WORKING WITH THE CDC TO SET
STANDARDS FOR KEEPING TRACK OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE FEELING BETTER.
WE'VE ASKED THIS QUESTION SO
WE DON'T ALL DEFINE RECOVERY IN
DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE'RE TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW WE AS A COUNTRY
CAN ALL DEFINE RECOVERY SO WE
HAVE THAT'S STANDARDIZATION AND
NOT APPLES TO ORANGES AND WE
DEFINE IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING
THOSE FIGURES AND DIDN'T GIVE A
TIMELINE FOR WHEN STATES WILL
HAVE A STANDARDIZATION ON DATA
BUT WITHOUT THAT STANDARD IT'S
HARD TO SAY EXACTLY HOW MANY.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNED THE
$484 BILLION BILL IN THE LATEST
EFFORT BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TO KEEP BUSINESSES AFLOAT.
MOST
OF THE FUNDING IS GOING TOWARDS
SMALL BUSINESSES AS PART OF THE
PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM.
THE
PPE MONEY HELPS THOSE BUSINESSES
KEEP WORKERS ON THEIR PAYROLL.
FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS NOW,
ACTION THE HAS BEEN TRACKING
PROBLEMS THAT YOU'VE BEEN HAVING
FILING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT IN NORTH
CAROLINA.
IT'S ALREADY HARD ENOUGH.
OUR
ACTION 9 INVESTIGATOR CONTINUES
PUSHING FOR ANSWERS AND IS
HEARING FROM PEOPLE IN SOUTH
CAROLINA ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS
WITH THE STATE'S WEBSITE THERE
AND GETTING A REAL PERSON ON THE
PHONE.
Reporter: SOUTH CAROLINA SAYS
IT WENT FROM HISTORICALLY LOW
UNEMPLOYMENT, TO HIGH
UNEMPLOYMENT.
THEY ARE SLAMMED.
65,000 CALLS IN TWO DAYS BUT
THAT DOESN'T MAKE PEOPLE FEEL
MUCH BETTER THAT CAN'T GET
THROUGH.
ASHLEY SAYS SHE WAS A
TRAVEL AGENT, HER LAST DAY WAS
MARCH 18th, AND SHE'S BEEN
APPLYING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT EVER
SINCE.
VERY FRUSTRATED.
I CAN'T GET
ANY ANSWERS.
Reporter: SHE TOLD ME IT
LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS APPROVED
APRIL 1st, BUT THEN IT LIKED
LIKE THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH
HER ACCOUNT.
SHE SENT ME HER
CALL HISTORY, AND ONE CALL,
THREE HOURS, 59 MINUTES.
I WAS ON HOLD FOR ALMOST FOUR
HOURS AND IT SOUNDED LIKE
SOMEBODY PICKED UP THE PHONE.
THEN IT DISCONNECTED ME.
Reporter: SHE SAID SHE GOT
THROUGH A FEW TIMES BUT THEY HAD
TO TRANSFER HER.
I WAS ON HOLD AGAIN AND THEN
IT JUST TOTALLY DISCONNECTED ME.
Reporter: I ASKED SOUTH
CAROLINA'S DEPARTMENT OF
EMPLOYMENT AND WORKFORCE WHAT
IT'S DOING TO ADDRESS CONCERNS.
IT SAYS IT EXTENDED ITS CALL
CENTER HOURS AND EMPLOYEES ARE
WORKING NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS TO
CALL PEOPLE BACK AND INCREASED
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS TO
POSSIBLY 500 THIS WEEK AND
LAUNCHED A CHAT-BOT FEATURE THIS
WEEK TO ANSWER COMMON QUESTIONS.
THANKFULLY WE'RE OKAY
PROBABLY COMPARED TO SOME
PEOPLE, BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO
LAST FOREVER.
I MEAN WE STILL
HAVE BILLS TO PAY.
AND WHEN YOU
DROP FROM TWO SALARIES TO ONE,
IT'S VERY STRESSFUL.
Reporter: AND THINGS MAY BE
LOOKING UP FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE
HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THROUGH.
THE AGENCY SAYS FEWER PEOPLE ARE
FILING CLAIMS.
IN FACT, IT JUST
HAD ITS FIRST WEEK WITH A
DECREASE, HOPEFULLY THAT
CONTINUES.
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS AND
THOSE OUT OF WORK BECAUSE
COVID-19 CAN START APPLYING FOR
UNEMPLOYMENT CALLED PANDEMIC
UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE AND IS
SUPPOSED TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE
OUT OF WORK WHO WOULD OTHERWISE
NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR REGULAR
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
GO TO DES.NC.GOV.
ALL NEW THIS MORNING, AMAZON
IS MAKING A CHANGE IN GETTING
ITS WORKERS TIME OFF DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
SO FAR THE COMPANY HAS
GIVEN UNPAID TIME OFF WITHOUT
PENALTY TO WORK WHO'S DON'T FEEL
COMFORTABLE ON THE JOB AND $2 AN
HOUR HAZARD PAY FOR THOSE WHO DO
COME IN IN, AND BLOOMBERG IS
REPORTING MAY 1st, AMAZON WANTS
WORKERS TO COME BACK OR REQUEST
A LEAVE OF ABSENCE.
AMAZON SAID
IT WILL STILL OFFER HAZARD PAY
THROUGH MAY 16th, AND WORK
VERSION BEEN PROTESTING FOR
SAFER WORK CONDITIONS.
AT LEAST
SEVEN WORKERS AT CHARLOTTE-AREA
AMAZON SITES HAVE TESTED
POSITIVE.
THERE HAS BEEN A RUMOR THAT,
YOU KNOW, A VERY NICE RUMOR YOU
GO OUTSIDE IN THE SUN AND YOU
HAVE HEAT AND IT HAS AN EFFECT
ON OTHER VIRUSES.
AND THERE YOU HEARD PRESIDENT
TRUMP MAKE THAT CLAIM AND HE
SAID THAT AFTER A SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR CITED
EXPERIMENTS SHOWING CORONAVIRUS
DOESN'T FAIR WELL IN SUNLIGHT
AND HEAT, MEDICAL EXPERTS HAVE
SAID SUNLIGHT IS NOT A
TREATMENT.
WE LOOKED INTO THE
DETAILS.
Reporter: THAT RUMOR,
SUNLIGHT AND COVID-19 DON'T GET
ALONG GETTING NEW LIFE AFTER A
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STUDY.
IT
SUGGESTS HIGHER TEMPERATURES,
HUMIDITY, AND SUNLIGHT CAN WORK
TO MORE QUICKLY KILL THE VIRUS
ON SURFACES AND IN THE AIR.
Reporter: THE WHITE HOUSE
RELEASED THIS VIDEO SHOWING THE
HALF LIFE OF CORONAVIRUS SHOWING
WHAT IT WILL CAUSE IT TO DECAY.
NOTICE WHEN THE TEMPERATURE AND
HUMIDITY GOES UP, THE TIME IT
TAKES FOR THE VIRUS TO BECOME IN
ACTIVE ON SURFACES AND STAINLESS
STEEL AND DOOR HANDLES GOES DOWN
DRAMATICALLY AND HAS AN EVEN
TOUGHER TIME SURVIVING IN THE
SUN, CUTTING HALF LIFE FROM SIX
HOURS TO JUST TWO MINUTES.
IN
THE AIR, SUMMER UV RAYS SLASHED
THE VIABILITY FROM ONE HOUR TO
JUST 90 SECONDS BUT WHILE DATA
IS HOPEFUL THIS DOESN'T MEAN
SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE IS A
TREATMENT.
THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION SAYS EXPOSING
THEMSELVES TO SUN AND WARM
TEMPERATURES DOES NOT PREVENT
THE CORONAVIRUS, ADDING YOU CAN
GET COVID-19 REGARDING WHAT THE
WEATHER IS.
ABC NEWS CHIEF
MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT DR.
JENNIFER ASHTON WEIGHED IN.
IT, KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME UV
LIGHT CAN BE USED TO KILL
BACTERIA OR VIRUSES IN THE
ENVIRONMENT.
NOT IN OR ON THE
HUMAN BODY.
NO ONE KNOWS WHAT'S
GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN THE WEATHER
WARMS UP.
Reporter: OTHER RESEARCHERS
SUGGEST WE MAY NOT SEE A
SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN