Press Releases
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D., Assistant Secretary of the Division of Employment Security Lockhart Taylor, Commissioner of Prisons Todd Ishee and Director of NC Emergency Management Mike Sprayberry will be available today for a dial-in media briefing at 2 p.m. regarding COVID-19. Please see below for details on how to join the call. A live stream video feed will be available from a pool camera.
At approximately 12:15 p.m. on April 2, Neuse Correctional Institution Warden Morris Reid and members of his custody and medical staffs attempted to speak with a group of offenders outside of their living dormitory to explain that proper Centers for Disease Control guidelines were being instituted after an offender there had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
Other offenders from different dorms then came outside and would not go back inside despite orders from the warden and other staff.
Two offenders in the minimum custody unit at Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro have tested positive for coronavirus.
They are the second and third offenders in the state prison system to test positive for the virus also known as COVID-19. The first offender to test positive, on April 1, is housed at the Caledonia Correctional Institution in Tillery.
HOOKERTON--An offender died after being attacked by another offender during an altercation at Maury Correctional Institution late this afternoon.
Offender Charles Rogers, 75, #0350031, was stabbed with a homemade weapon around 4:37 p.m. Thursday in one of the prison’s housing units. After facility medical personnel performed life-saving procedures on the scene, Rogers was pronounced dead at 4:46 p.m.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. and Director of NC Emergency Management Mike Sprayberry will be available today for a dial-in media briefing at 2 p.m. regarding COVID-19. Please see below for details on how to join the call. A live stream video feed will be available from a pool camera. In order to maintain social distancing guidelines and further prevent the spread of COVID-19, the media room at the State Emergency Operations Center will not be open for media to attend in person.
An offender at the minimum custody unit of the Caledonia Correctional Complex in Tillery has tested positive for coronavirus. This is the first positive test for the virus known as COVID-19 of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison.
“We have prepared long and hard for this day,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “This is not a surprise and we are following the infectious disease protocols we have in place for exactly this type of situation. Our top priority is the health and safety of our staff and the men and women in our care.”
Governor Roy Cooper today announced another step to help families by prohibiting utilities from disconnecting people who are unable to pay during this pandemic. Today’s Order applies to electric, gas, water and wastewater services for the next 60 days.
The Order directs utilities to give residential customers at least six months to pay outstanding bills and prohibits them from collecting fees, penalties or interest for late payment.
Telecommunication companies that provide phone, cable and internet services are strongly urged to follow these same rules.
Today, Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 122 to help schools and local governments access state surplus property to help bridge gaps during the response to COVID-19. The Order also provides transfer or donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) that state government may have and not need.
Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced that the first payments for the unemployment claims related to coronavirus will begin going out this week. The Division of Employment Security has received an unprecedented number of unemployment insurance claims since Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 118 on March 17.
Governor Roy Cooper announced today that parents who need food assistance for their children can text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877.
After entering their address, parents will receive a text with the location and serving times for nearby pick-up and drive-thru free meal sites while schools are closed. Sites have been set up across the state for families with children ages 18 and younger, including preschool children, who rely on free and reduced-price meals at school.