2020 Coronavirus Outbreak

UNC Heel-Gram: Sending love one letter at a time

MacKenzie Maddox is a co-founder of the HeelGram club. She has an extended family member who regularly received letters from his community over quarantine. Seeing how much he enjoyed them, she was inspired to bring that dynamic to UNC. “Writing and receiving the letters has been therapeutic for our volunteer letter writers, especially since it provides a break from schoolwork,” she said. “It's just as rewarding for me as those with whom we communicate.”

Orange County follows Cooper's decision to lift mask mandate, other restrictions

Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger announced that Orange County will follow Gov. Roy Cooper's decision to lift the statewide mask mandate and other COVID-19 restrictions. “We have, in the past, been more stringent, but because we have a higher vaccination rate than most of the other counties anyway, we felt that we needed to go ahead and comply,” Hemminger said.

N.C. lifts mask mandate and limits on gatherings, distancing, capacities

Following Thursday's announcement from the CDC, masks are no longer required in most settings in N.C., and mass gathering and social distancing limits are no longer in place, Gov. Roy Cooper announced in a news conference Friday.

UNC announces updated COVID-19 Community Standards for summer 2021

The University's Community Standards have been updated for the summer to reflect new state and local COVID-19 guidelines, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced Thursday. These changes will take effect starting May 17.

Carolina Vaccination Clinic opts to also vaccinate UNC families and employees

In an effort to provide vaccination to as many people as possible, family and household members of UNC students, post-docs and employees can now get vaccinated at the Carolina Vaccination Clinic. 

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, 30 faculty members have continued research abroad

Some UNC professors plan to travel abroad this coming summer and fall to work on research projects delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Student nurses work on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic

Students in UNC's School of Nursing quickly adopted the responsibilities of practitioners when the pandemic first set in. Some nursing students share what it's been like to balance the demands of nursing amid a pandemic, online class and other responsibilities this past year. 

Local gyms see an increase in patrons as COVID-19 vaccine distribution expands

Local gyms, like O2 Fitness in Carrboro and Orangetheory Fitness, have seen an increase in the number of people coming in to work out as more vaccines have been distributed. 

Indoor mask mandate will be lifted once two-thirds of N.C. adults are vaccinated

Starting Friday, masks will no longer be required outdoors, and mass gathering limits in N.C. will increase to 100 indoors and 200 outdoors. 

CHCCS board approves block scheduling for Carrboro High School starting this fall

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a motion to adopt a modified seven-period block schedule for Carrboro High School for the upcoming school year. 

Faculty Advisory Committee proposes potential student COVID-19 vaccine mandate

The Faculty Advisory Committee discussed COVID-19 vaccination progress and the possibility of mandating student vaccines in the fall. Other topics covered included on-campus housing for first-years and Chancellor Guskiewicz's recent trip to Selma, Ala.  

Column: Navigating the pandemic is risky business

Why are we so bad at risk evaluation? And how does that manifest in our approach to COVID-19?

Chapel Hill's Chelsea Theater reopens after yearlong closure due to COVID-19

The Chelsea Theater, a Chapel Hill cinema that shows independent and documentary films, closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic. One year later, it's open again, with brand-new renovations. 

Editorial: News outlets can help mitigate vaccine hesitancy

Although the news cycle has made it seem much more threatening, the odds of getting into a car accident or even dying from COVID-19 are significantly higher than the odds of experiencing a blood clot from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

UNC health experts weigh in on safety of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after pause

We asked some local health experts about the CDC- and FDA-recommended pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, including the risks associated with the vaccine and how the pause will affect distribution at UNC and across North Carolina going forward.

Column: How Flyleaf Books weathered the pandemic

The OC Voice is a portion of the OC Report newsletter where local residents may have a platform to talk about local issues they care about. Jamie Fiocco is the owner of Flyleaf Books, a local bookstore in Chapel Hill. 

UNC doctoral student Rachel Woodul applies prior pandemic research to COVID-19

Woodul's master’s thesis, which she defended in April 2020, modeled the 1918 flu pandemic if it were to occur today. After COVID-19 began, she used her model to lay out the possible impact of the coronavirus.

UNC to reopen student vaccine clinic Friday, offer the Moderna vaccine

The recommendation is due to severe blood clots reported in six people who received the J&J vaccine. Over 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been distributed nationwide. 

Students describe their altered senses of taste and smell after having COVID-19

“I love getting potatoes on the side with burgers, but now because of (COVID-19) potatoes taste like dirt to me,” sophomore Alvin Dinh said. “I can taste the dirt and oil, and it makes me nauseous.”

LISTEN: Reflecting on University jurisdiction of students in violation of campus community standards