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The number of Davie residents who have contracted COVID-19 continues to increase slightly.

To date, 29 residents have been lab-confirmed virus infected. That is a cumulative total.

Two of those 29 died. Twenty-three of those residents meet the requirement to be released from isolation. Two of those have later tested negative for the virus. Four are still sick, as of Monday.

Of the 29 cases, 10 are age 65 or older, eight are age 50-64, seven age 25-49, two are age 18-24 and two are age 17 or younger.

Stay at home orders continue through May 8.

The Davie County Chamber of Commerce board of directors is joining in the chorus in urging the state to reopen earlier than Gov. Roy Cooper announced, which would be in late May with limited capacity.

“The current order and closure of businesses has created a grea hardship on the businesses of our community,” Chamber President Caroline Moster wrote in a letter to County Manager John Eller and the county commissioners. “Our county consists almost entirely of small businesses.

“I fear that many of our small business owners will have closed by that time, as some are already on life support. We have received calls and emails drom dozens of small business owners in the last two weeks who are burdened with the fear of closing their doors.”

Moser went on to say the chamber has creative minds that can help with a solution.

She said there are hundreds of self-employed people unable to provide for their families. Many of them do not qualify for loans, others have been unable to obtain unemployment benefits.

“We are committed to doing our part ot help curate as many resources fo rour leaders and community as possible. Each day, we fear this is simply not enough.”

While the governor’s orders supercede county action, she urged the county to use its power to advocate for small businesses at the state level.

“Getting our local economy back open is vitally critical to the welfare of our businesses,” Moser wrote. “We simply want to ensure that in the onslaught of media focus on those who have fallen ill or died of COVID 19, we are also reverently observing the full impact of this crisis to the rest of the population.”