The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has sought authority from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to temporarily waive certain Medicaid and NC Health Choice policies as part of North Carolina's response to the COVID-19. The waivers will provide flexibility to NC Medicaid and providers to address the urgent health care needs of beneficiaries during this public health emergency.
Press Releases
Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced that North Carolina restaurants and bars will be closed to sit-down service and limited to take-out or delivery orders starting at 5 pm tonight, March 17, 2020. Grocery stores, gas stations, and convenience stores, are exempt from this order and will remain open, though they may not serve sit-down food.
Governor Cooper Requests Small Business Administration Disaster Declaration to Aid COVID-19 Response
Governor Roy Cooper requested that the U.S. Small Business Administration grant a disaster declaration for business owners in North Carolina facing economic losses due to the new Coronavirus, COVID-19.
Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all K-12 public schools in North Carolina to close for a minimum of two weeks in response to COVID-19. The Executive Order also bans gatherings of more than 100 people.
Two people from Forsyth County and a person from Johnston County have tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total of positive cases in North Carolina to 12, including a Durham resident who tested positive in another state.
As the number of cases of COVID-19 rise in North Carolina and the United States, and with the designation of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the state is responding with a whole government response. COVID-19 is a new infection that is particularly severe in older persons and those with medical conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and weakened immune systems.
Governor, DHHS urge North Carolinians to follow guidance. Governor Roy Cooper today announced that North Carolina is taking proactive steps to protect the health and wellbeing of our state in the face of growing cases of the coronavirus COVID-19 around the nation and here in North Carolina. Included in today's guidance is a recommendation to cancel or postpone gatherings over 100 people and telework if possible.
NC Medicaid is implementing several policy changes in response to COVID-19 to slow the spread of the virus, support healthcare providers and protect more vulnerable North Carolinians.
An additional person from Wake County has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total of positive cases in North Carolina to eight.
On Monday, March 9, 2020, NC DHHS confirmed 5 new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wake County, increasing the statewide total to 7. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) is taking proactive steps to protect the health of our community by making recommendations that are meant to slow the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak and reduce the number of people infected.
Governor Roy Cooper took the next step in the state's coronavirus COVID-19 preparedness plan today and issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency.
The Indiana State Department of Health notified North Carolina officials that a person who tested positive for COVID-19 on March 8 was in Durham and Wake counties on March 2 through March 6 while symptomatic. The person is in isolation at home in Indiana.
Five more people in Wake County have tested presumptively positive today for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). All traveled to Boston in late February to attend a BioGen conference. Several cases of COVID-19 across the country have been tied to the conference.
A second North Carolina person, unrelated to the first case, has tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The test, conducted by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, is presumptively positive and will be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab. The person is doing well and is in isolation at home.
As North Carolina continues to prepare for the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, the NC State Laboratory of Public Health (NCSLPH) within the NC Department of Health and Human Services is now able to perform testing for the virus. This new capability allows North Carolina to more quickly take public health steps to respond to any positive test result.
A North Carolina person has tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The test, conducted by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, is presumptively positive and will be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab. The person is doing well and is in isolation at home.
Governor Roy Cooper’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Task Force continues to prepare for the possibility of COVID-19 infections occurring in North Carolina and is encouraging businesses, schools, health care providers, communities and individuals to prepare as well. Currently, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina.
North Carolina is among 12 states selected by the U.S. Department of Labor to Participate in an initiative to increase employment of people with disabilities.
Governor Roy Cooper formalized the state's ongoing effort to monitor, prepare for and respond to the 2019 novel coronavirus (CoVID-19) with a state Novel Coronavirus Task Force.
North Carolina is among states rated as high performers in public health emergency preparedness measures by a nonpartisan, nonprofit that advocates for optimal health for people and communities through prevention of illness and injuries.