Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Columbia Mayor James Cahoon and his wife, Kathy, are recovering after contracting COVID-19 at a family outing several weeks ago.

The mayor said his self-quarantine period would end on July 28.

Kathy Cahoon had fever for eight days but it was normal on Monday, he said.

“People need to wear a mask and keep your distance because you don’t know who is exposed; follow the guidelines, and wash your hands,” the mayor advised.

“I really appreciate the many phone calls and other assistance we have received,” he added. “We’ve had food delivered and offers of all kinds of help, for which we are genuinely grateful; people are very kind.”

Many of the individuals attending the outing are members of Sound Side Free Will Baptist Church north of Columbia, and after the outbreak became known, the deacon board there decided to suspend services for the immediate future, Pastor Royce Reynolds reported. No other members of the congregation have reported exposure to COVID-19, the pastor said. He added that the building has been sanitized and will remain closed until services resume, presumably in mid- to late August.

Across North Carolina 44% of the 112,714 COVID-19 cases reported have been in the 25-49 age group, the Department of Health and Human Services reports.

Tyrrell County has reported 87 cases and one death since Apr. 10, when the first case here became known. The big spike came early this month. 42% of the cases are in the 25-49 age range, evenly divided among males and females, with white people accounting for 62%, blacks 15%, Native Americans and Asians one percent each.