Gov. Cooper signs school reopening bill into law

7:15 p.m.
Thanks to a partnership with Ottendorf Labs, Durham Public Schools will offer COVID-19 testing for students, teachers, staff and community members beginning the week of March 22.

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The tests will be offered upon request for free, with results returning on average of 24 hours.

"I am so excited that we will have this additional level of protection for our students and staff," Dr. Mubenga said in a statement. "Thanks to the federal grant supporting Ottendorf, anyone who wants it will have easy access to convenient and free PCR level COVID-19 testing."

5:39 p.m.
Gov. Roy Cooper has signed into law Senate Bill 220: The Reopen Our Schools Act of 2021.

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The move comes after Republicans in the general assembly and the governor reached an agreement to reopen schools after Cooper vetoed SB 37, a previous effort to pass school-reopening legislation. The NC Senate then failed to override Cooper's veto.

"Getting students back into the classroom safely is a shared priority, and this agreement will move more students to in-person instruction while retaining the ability to respond to local emergencies," Cooper said.

3 p.m.
Gov, Roy Cooper held a media briefing to update progress on COVID-19 vaccinations.

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Cooper announced that some members of Group 4 will be able to get vaccines starting March 17, a week earlier than previously planned.

People at higher-risk plus certain people living in congregate housing will be eligible first. Other members of Group 4 will be eligible April 7.

"This move to Group 4 is good news," Cooper said. "I know there are many efforts across the state getting vaccines to people as quickly and fairly as possible and I want our providers to know that their work is making all the difference."

As with previous eligibility changes, some vaccine providers may not be ready to open to Group 4 on March 17 if they are still experiencing high demand for vaccines in Groups 1 through 3.

"We are very fortunate to now have three tested, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines that keep people out of the hospital and prevent death from this virus," said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen. "With improving supplies, North Carolina can get more people vaccinated sooner and meet our goals to provide equitable access to vaccinations in every community in the state."

12:45 p.m.
2,061 new COVID-19 cases were reported in North Carolina on Thursday. That's the first time new cases have been over 2,000 since March 6.

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1,039 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state. 134 confirmed COVID-19 patients were admitted in the last 24 hours.

The percent of positive tests is at 3.8.

11.2 percent of the population of North Carolina has been fully vaccinated.

11 a.m.
The Duke University men's basketball team announced on Thursday that it would be dropping out of the 2021 ACC Tournament following a positive COVID-19 test within a member of the program's Tier 1 personnel.

9:45 a.m.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat on COVID-19 vaccines on March 11 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

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NCDHHS Sec. Mandy Cohen will host the event and featured guests include Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II and North Carolina NAACP State Conference President Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman.

Sec. Cohen and Rev. Barber both received a one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at the PNC Arena in Raleigh on March 5. They will share their vaccination experience, discuss the safety and effectiveness of approved COVID-19 vaccines and answer questions from viewers during the live stream.

9:15 a.m.
About 1 in 5 Americans say they lost a relative or close friend to the coronavirus, highlighting the division between heartache and hope as the country itches to get back to normal a year into the pandemic.

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research illustrates how the stage is set for a two-tiered recovery. The public's worry about the virus has dropped to its lowest point since the fall, before the holidays brought skyrocketing cases into the new year.

But people still in mourning express frustration at the continued struggle to stay safe.

"We didn't have a chance to grieve. It's almost like it happened yesterday for us. It's still fresh," said Nettie Parks of Volusia County, Florida, whose only brother died of COVID-19 last April. Because of travel restrictions, Parks and her five sisters have yet to hold a memorial.

Parks, 60, said she retired from her customer service job last year in part because of worry about workplace exposure, and now she is watching with dread as more states and cities relax health rules.

Only about 3 in 10 Americans are very worried about themselves or a family member being infected with the virus, down from about 4 in 10 in recent months. Still, a majority are at least somewhat worried.

"They're letting their guard down and they shouldn't," Parks said. "People are going to have to realize this thing is not going anywhere. It's not over."

COVID-19's toll is staggering, more than 527,000 dead in the U.S. alone, and counting.

9 a.m.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 712,000, the lowest total since early November, evidence that fewer employers are cutting jobs amid a decline in confirmed coronavirus cases and signs of an improving economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for unemployment aid dropped by 42,000 from 754,000 the week before. Though the job market has been slowly strengthening, many businesses remain under pressure, and 9.6 million jobs remain lost to the pandemic that flattened the economy 12 months ago.

6 a.m.
Gov. Cooper and members of the Coronavirus Task Force will share an update on COVID-19. The press conference will take place at 3 p.m.

5 a.m.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has so far declined to issue new guidance on travel for vaccinated Americans due to concerns about travel-related surges but is "looking forward" to updating guidance once more people get protected.

"What we have seen is that we have surges after people start traveling, we saw it after July 4, we saw it after Labor Day, we saw it after the Christmas holidays," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday in response to a question from CNN's Kaitlan Collins during a COVID-19 briefing.

Walensky said because 90% of people remain unvaccinated they will wait to update guidance until "we have more protection across the communities and across the population."

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