CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Crews have not even finished working on the outside. Inside there is already a COVID-19 cluster in a government building where people go for all kinds of public services.
Turner came to the immunization clinic Friday at the brand-new Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center to get shots for her daughter before school starts Monday.
“I think that’s kind of scary honestly when you’re trying to get your kid back to school and you find out, ‘Oh, it’s COVID cases in the building,’ it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh,” said Tiffany Turner, a customer at the northeast Charlotte facility.
Turner didn’t know until Queen City News told her that according to Mecklenburg County, as of Friday morning, 43 staff members who either work directly at the new Scarborough Center or come in and out for work are sick, and 26 staff members are COVID positive.
“I think they need to start over honestly, 26 cases and you just opened, and I think that’s kind of ludicrous,” said Turner.
From Aug. 4-17, there were 635 emergency department visits for COVID-19-like illness in Mecklenburg County, according to the Mecklenburg County Health Dept.
Of those emergency department visits, 12.6 percent resulted in hospital admission. As of Aug. 24, the COVID-19 hospital admission level in Mecklenburg County is low.
Customers say there are no signs posted before people go inside warning them of the COVID cluster.
“I’m kind of surprised to know that that many cases have come out of a new building,” said Elizabeth Isom, another customer. “And I do live in the neighborhood, so I am concerned, and if I had known that, I probably wouldn’t have gone in there.”
After QCN informed Isom of the COVID cluster, she said she might take more precautions.
“You just sparked my interest,” she said. “I’ll probably leave here and go get my shot.”
In a statement, Mecklenburg County said, “the Public Health Communicable Disease team will continue to monitor the situation in partnership with the resource center’s leadership.”
It said a large supply of masks and COVID tests have been made available for staff and customers visiting the facility.
