Resolution Lifting the Economic Shutdown and Returning Business and Related Activities to Normal | Eastern North Carolina Now

    January 12, 2022 - Publisher's note: Due to a publishing SNAFU, I have been remiss in my duties, here at BCN, regarding the proper categorization of county government publications; in particular, the Enhanced County Government Videos, begun August 1, 2019.

    Therefore, to thoroughly correct this miscue, I will make the proper categorical correction, and bring these archives forward beginning on January 12, 2022; mixing these historical patterns of fact in with the current news of our day. Some posts brought forward will not be video broadcasts, but most informative posts as to who and what you Beaufort County Commissioners are, and how they govern.

    When the Beaufort County Commissioners meet, on May 4, 2020, they will have many important issues to discuss, most notable of which is the resolution to reopen Beaufort County.

    Here below is the resolution to do so submitted by Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson.

RESOLUTION LIFTING THE ECONOMIC SHUTDOWN AND RETURNING BUSINESS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES TO NORMAL

    WHERAS: On March 27, 2020 Governor Cooper issued EXECUTIVE ORDER 121 shutting down major parts of commerce, and citizen assembly, and

    WHEREAS: Governor Cooper has extended his order to May 8, 2020, and

    WHEREAS: There has not been a COVD 19 pandemic significantly reaching the purported magnitude to justify the order within the State of North Carolina or Beaufort County, (Beaufort County reporting no deaths as of April 25, 2020, only 19 cases all total ,with only 6 currently active while 13 cases are classified as "recovered"); and

    WHEREAS: Governor Cooper has not presented a reasonable plan to re open our State and Beaufort County; and

    WHEREAS: The Beaufort County Commissioners reject the "one size fits all" nature of these Executive Orders; and

    WHEREAS: Historical data produced by the State of North Carolina shows the influenza season is effectively over by the last week in April of each year, and

    WHEREAS: The stated objective in issuing this and subsequent Orders was to "flatten" the curve of infections so as to not overwhelm the health care system, and

    WHEREAS: There has been an unusually low demand on healthcare systems in Beaufort County and in fact Vidant Health System has laid off hundreds of health care providers and many Citizens of Beaufort County have been denied non-virus health care procedures that if continued can be expected to cause irreparable harm to them; and

    WHEREAS: There is much financial suffering , religious worship denial and loss of other services to the citizens of Beaufort County. and

    WHEREAS: There is a high risk of bankruptcy and extended hardship among the Citizens and businesses of Beaufort County, driving unemployment to extreme heights, and

    WHEREAS: The population has made known to members of the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners their concerns about their lack of work, loss of income, and the severe abuse of their Constitutional rights, and

    WHEREAS: Governor Cooper has not fully complied with the requirements of the North Carolina Constitution and the various Laws of the State of North Carolina, creating unreasonable and un enforceable repressive conditions, and pain on the citizens of North Carolina, and

    WHEREAS: The orders of Governor Cooper have severely reduced revenues to the State Treasury causing a future tax hardship on all citizens,

    WHEREAS: Orders by Governor Cooper have placed all citizens of North Carolina in financial and general welfare peril,

    WHEREAS: The Constitutions of both the State of North Carolina and the Federal Government grant certain inalienable rights to all citizens, and these rights have been abused, and

    THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: Effective immediately, the Lockdown orders by the Governor Cooper are deemed null and void in the County of Beaufort and all citizens of Beaufort County are free to resume their activities as they were before March 27, 2020, with the following advisories; Apply and use the recommendations issued by Health Departments and other agencies for your personal protection. All persons diagnosed with COVID 19 virus are to self quarantine until determined not to be a danger of infecting other persons under penalty of the quarantine laws of the State of North Carolina, and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Beaufort County Health Department is authorized and directed to monitor the status and trends of COVD 19 cases in Beaufort County and to report any statistically significant changes on the status and trends of COVD 19 infections to the Beaufort County Commission, which reserves the prerogative to revise this Resolution as may be needed at any point in the future, and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: No funds or employees of Beaufort County shall be used to defy, suborn or otherwise render this resolution impaired in any way under penalty of discharge for employment without benefit of additional warning.

    THIS THE 4TH DAY OF MAY, 2020.

    The Clerk is directed to disseminate this Resolution to the Office of the Governor, the members of the General assembly and all counties in North Carolina.

    If you are interested in our Archive of the Beaufort County Commissioners' General Meetings can be found here in this aforementioned enhanced format.

    Additionally, if you wish to catch up on some of the most important Beaufort County Commissioners meeting of 2019 through 2022, click here.