CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A WCNC Charlotte Defenders investigation is revealing that a series of big events led up to Mecklenburg County’s Stay at Home Order.
The Defenders team found everything from political rallies to sporting events just weeks before social distancing became a reality.
In New Orleans, doctors say Mardis Gras could be to blame for the major outbreak. WCNC Charlotte talked to experts about if the crowded events in Charlotte could have impacted the outlook locally.
These days, people hope they don’t see large groups of people, but just last month it wasn’t unusual to see big events with dozens, hundreds, or even thousands in attendance.
On March 24th, Mecklenburg County announced the stay at home order to improve social distancing.
“This is really based on the fact that we continue to see increases in cases here,” said County Manager Dena Diorio.
The Stay at Home Order was a far cry from what happened earlier in the month. Just weeks before the order, there was a series of high attendance events, including President Trump’s rally in Charlotte on March 2nd.
“I’m thrilled to be back in the great city of Charlotte,” President Trump said at the rally.
The next day, droves of people went out to vote during Super Tuesday. Then on March 6th, the Charlotte Hornets played at home against the Denver Nuggets. The same day Johnson C. Smith University had a health fair, and Sturgill Simpson had a concert at the Spectrum Center. A day later, crowds of people attended the Beer, Bourbon, and Barbeque Festival. On March 10th, Kristin Chenoweth performed at the Belk Theater.
“Those events will bring in people from different cities,” says Vera Rivera, a family nurse practitioner.
Rivera says at the big events in Charlotte, people could have been spreading the virus, without even knowing it.
“People during that time period weren’t social distancing, nor were they using masks,” Rivera said.
Medical experts say the symptoms can take up to 14 days to appear. Mecklenburg County identified its first case on March 11th. On March 12th, the NBC suspended the season. Just days later, the CDC recommended all gatherings of 50 or more people be canceled for eight weeks; now, the recommendation is 10 or more people.
The next major event on everyone’s mind is the Republican National Convention. On Friday, Mayor Vi Lyles addresses questions on Twitter about whether the RNC would still happen in August. The mayor said the city will follow CDC rules and guidelines.
“I don’t have an answer to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, I have an answer to say we will be guided by the best decisions for our residents,” said Mayor Lyles.
Local health officials say it’s impossible to determine if the big events last month resulted in an outbreak. At the time, there were no confirmed cases. As of Thursday, Mecklenburg County had 1,098 cases and 21 deaths.
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