Mecklenburg Co. closes some Parks and Rec services for next 3 weeks
Some Parks and Rec facilities close in Mecklenburg County By WBTV Web Staff | January 14, 2021 at 3:36 PM EST - Updated January 14 at 7:03 PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Mecklenburg County’s Parks and Recreation facilities will be closing some facilities to the public until at least the end of January.
The closures, effective Friday, Jan. 15, will affect all indoor services. Parks will remain open until dusk every day.
“As we’ve all seen, our COVID-19 numbers are continuing to rise, and Mecklenburg County government wants to not only comply with the directive, but to set an example in the community we can encourage others to follow,” County Manager Dena Diorio said during a press conference on Thursday.
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Updated 11:15 Jan. 13
Until Tuesday afternoon, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools was ready to bring students back for in-person classes next week. But a late-breaking message from the county health director sent the district scrambling for a new plan.
Parents and employees had expected the CMS board to decide Tuesday night whether all schools would reopen next week. Now they have to wait for an emergency meeting Thursday.
That’s because Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris surprised school officials with a directive saying schools should go fully remote for the next three weeks because of “exponential growth” in COVID-19 cases in the community.
Coronavirus live updates: Here s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 13 Simone Jasper and Hayley Fowler, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Jan. 13 We re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases surpass 641,000
At least 641,073 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 7,745 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 5,098 new COVID-19 cases, down from 6,851 the day before. The state health department said technical issues led to a lower case count for Wednesday.
An additional 120 coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday. During the past week, an average of 96 people died each day the highest total since the start of the pandemic.
Mecklenburg County s most recent community spread numbers.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is scheduled to reopen all schools for in-person classes next week, for the first time since March. Tuesday night the school board will decide whether it’s safe to move ahead.
Parents and teachers on both sides of the issue are impassioned; more than 30 are signed up to speak at the board meeting. And both sides have troubling data to bolster their views.
In early December the CMS board voted to keep all students learning remotely for the first two weeks of class in January. That was to let officials see what community spread of COVID-19 looked like after winter break.