Coronavirus daily update: Thursday, Oct. 15

First day of Early Voting

The election proper is finally upon us, and turnout in Guilford and Forsyth counties was astounding.

We’ve got a new partnership with the Daily Beast rolling, so they’re co-publishing our coverage coverage from the ground in this hotly contested state. Jordan’s first piece ran today.

If you have not voted yet, be sure to peruse our 2020 Election Guide, which has info on every candidate in every race in Guilford and Forsyth, including the judicial races which are boring but important.

More news

• Guilford County Schools released its revised plan for in-person education. Short strokes:
  • Pre-K through second grade return to classrooms Oct. 20.
  • Grades 3-5 could return on Nov. 4, pending health data, unless it’s an election site in which case it’s Nov. 5.
  • Middle schoolers are looking at Nov. 12, if the numbers drop the right way.
• Vice-Presidential candidate Kamala Harris was supposed to be in NC today, but she called it off because some of her staff tested positive for coronavirus.
• That didn’t stop Trump, who spoke in front of a crowd in Greenville today. At one point he compared his popularity to that of Jesus Christ. Which is really something.

The numbers

• NC jumped again, and it’s pretty bad: 2,532 new cases, highest in a good, long while, giving us 231,362 total.
  • 18 new deaths, 3,874
  • 6.5 percent positive test rate
  • 1,140 hospitalizations
• Guilford County has 88 new cases today — 3.48 percent of the state’s total, if you must know — 9,986 total, which is 4.32 percent of the state’s total.
  • 4,002 active cases, 89 hospitalized — which would be 7.81 percent of the state total.
  • 187 deaths (+0), 4.83 percent of the state total.
• Forsyth County adds 74 new cases, 2.92 of the state total, for 7,887, which is 3.41 percent of the state total.
  • 795 active cases, 27 hospitalizations, 2.37 percent of the state total.

A diversion

In honor of the first day of Early Voting, here’s a 1929 silent film from the Our Gang Crew called… wait for it… “Election Day.” Just 20 minutes long, and a silent film, it was one of the earliest works form Hal Roach studios. And yeah, it’s kinda racist, but it’s totally fascinating.

Program notes

• For tonight’s featured image, we’ve got “The Stolen Kiss,” by Jean Honoré Fragonard, 1760. Taken from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s public-domain collection.
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