CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dr. Mandy Cohen with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services provided on the state's response to COVID-19, as well as the latest coronavirus trends and data during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon.
Cohen spoke at 2 p.m.Tuesday in Raleigh.
Tuesday's briefing was the first time Cohen has spoken publicly since North Carolina State University announced three new coronavirus clusters, including 27 new cases within the athletic department. NC State leaders have put all athletics on pause as a result of the outbreak.
UNC-Charlotte also delayed its start of in-person learning until at least October 1 as a result of COVID-19. All classes will be online at UNCC, as they will at UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State. East Carolina University also announced classes will be moved online after multiple cases of coronavirus.
Tuesday, Gov. Roy Cooper's office announced that Cooper approved $175 million in funding to help North Carolinians pay utilities and rent during the pandemic. Cooper's office said three new programs were designed to help people avoid evictions and utility shutoffs while out of work.
“COVID-19 has strained family finances across North Carolina, and many people are struggling to make ends meet,” said Governor Cooper. “People need a safe, stable place to call home, especially during this pandemic, and we must help keep people in their homes and keep their utilities on while our economy recovers.”
Earlier this month, Dr. Cohen told WCNC Charotte the reopening of schools would be one of the biggest challenges the state has faced since the pandemic began.
"If folks are going back in person, we wanted them to have the maximum number of safety protocols in place, which means masks for everyone, social distancing in place for everyone, cleaning protocols, screening protocols. All of those are meant to layer on top of each other to add additional layers of precaution."
