It is late July in NC. I received this Satsuki azalea recently. Its root ball is very exposed.shouldnt the surface roots be covered in soil? Thanks for any help.

Azalea roots are like that, spongelike and very fine.
I would plant this youngster in a larger training pot to let it get girth on the trunk.
The humidity tray is doing nothing to it, unless it's there just as a dripping tray in order to not stain your furniture with water.
Fertilize it with Miracid. They love it.

PS- Ahhh... It's not "REPORT", but "REPOT".

Thank you. Yes I am aware of repot lol. Auto correct and I wasn’t watching lol.