Beaufort County Emergency Management: COVID-19 Update (5-14-20) | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

5/14/2020 Beaufort County, NC COVID-19 SITREP The following information is as of 4pm Updates from our previous posting have been highlighted.
    Case Statistics

• NC has total 16,695 confirmed cases, across 99 counties, with 637 deaths. Our state currently has 7,580 active cases and 507 hospitalizations.
• Beaufort County has had a total of 27 cases, with 4 currently active. Seven (7) of our positive cases, including our most recent positive, were asymptomatic. (Meaning they experienced no symptoms.) Contact tracing of these known cases have concluded:
  • (7) case was contributed to direct contact with a known patient from another county.
  • (2) cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area.
  • (16) cases are attributed to community spread.
  • (2) case is still under investigation.
• All active cases are self-isolating.
• Eastern NC counties with total confirmed cases include: Bertie, (74), Beaufort (27), Bladen (66), Brunswick (51), Carteret (35), Camden (2), Chowan (12), Columbus (226), Craven (72), Currituck (11), Dare (21), Duplin (305), Edgecombe (161), Gates (12), Greene (40), Halifax (105), Hertford (51), Hyde (1), Jones (21), Lenoir (134), Martin (34), New Hanover (123), North Hampton (126), Onslow (63), Pamlico (8), Pasquotank (81), Pender (43), Perquimans (20), Pitt (185) Sampson (203), Tyrrell (4), Washington (26), Wayne (775) and Wilson (218). Mecklenburg (2,320), Wake (1,107), and Durham (932) counties have the most cases.

    NC Recovery Statistics

    NC DHHS released the following statement today pertaining to the number of "recovered" case within our state:

• "COVID-19 Patients Presumed to be Recovered
• Updated May 11, 2020
• Patients Presumed to be Recovered = 9,115
• The estimated number of patients presumed to be recovered from symptoms from COVID-19 is used in combination with other measures to provide a general sense of how many people with COVID-19 have likely recovered from symptoms.
• North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) estimates a median time to recovery of 14 days from the date of specimen collection for non-fatal COVID-19 cases who were not hospitalized, or if hospitalization status is unknown. The estimated median recovery time is 28 days from the date of specimen collection for hospitalized non-fatal COVID-19 cases. Estimates are used since patient-specific data on the actual time to resolution of all symptoms are not available for all COVID-19 cases in North Carolina.
• It is important to note that patients' actual recovery times could be shorter or longer depending on the severity of illness. This interval was chosen based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidance, and in consultation with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other state health departments. A median recovery time of two weeks from illness onset for mild cases and three-six weeks for patients with severe or critical disease was reported by WHO.
• These estimates are unrelated to the number of cases that are or are not still infectious. These estimates cannot account for other factors that could impact a patient's recovery time or disease severity, such as age and underlying health conditions.
• These estimates do not measure the amount of natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the population. Doctors and scientists do not yet know if patients who have recovered are protected with natural immunity from getting COVID-19 again.
• These data will be updated every Monday by 4 p.m."

Please Remember and Practice "The 3 Ws"
Wear Face Coverings Wait 6' Apart Wash Your Hands Often
    A Message from Beaufort County's Health Department


    Re-Opening Timeline / Guidelines

    Below is a summary of our states plan for a phased reopening. Please note that these timelines / guidelines are subject to change based on case trends and / or additional executive orders.

    Phase I (Will begin at 5pm Friday May 8th, 2020 and continue for 2 weeks (May 22, 2020) or 3 weeks (May 30, 2020)

    Modified Stay-at-Home order. Opening of Bookstores, Clothing Stores, Sporting Goods Stores, Housewares Stores & other Retailers with social distancing, enhanced hygiene & cleaning protocols, symptom screening of employees, accommodations for vulnerable workers, and provide education to employees and workers to combat misinformation.

    Phase 1 Requirements

    Businesses planning to open Friday must adhere to the following requirements outlined in Executive Order 138

    Occupancy

• Customer Capacity cannot exceed 50% of stated fire capacity OR 12 customers for every 1,000 sq. ft of total square footage.
• Local governments cannot set different occupancy requirements.
• Must display "Emergency Maximum Occupancy" signage.

    Distancing

• Must display signage directing people to stay 6' apart.
• Must have six-foot markings at point-of-sale and high traffic areas.

    Sanitation

• Perform frequent and routine environmental cleaning and disinfection of counters, pin-pads and other high-touch areas with an EPA approved disinfectant for SARS-CoV-2

    Health Screening

• Conduct daily symptom screening of workers
• Immediately send symptomatic workers home

    Phase 1 Recommendations

    Executive Order 138 recommends the following for businesses that plan to open:

• Direct workers to stay at least 6' apart from on another and from customers to the greatest extent possible.
• Provide designated times for seniors and other high-risk populations to access services.
• Develop and use systems that allow for online, email or telephone ordering, and provide for no-contact curbside pick-up, drive-through or home delivery.
• High volume retail businesses such as grocery stores and pharmacies are strongly encouraged to:
  • Use acrylic / plastic shields at point of sale
  • Clearly mark entry / exit points
• Continue to promote telework and limit non-essential travel.
• Promote social distancing by reducing the number of people coming into the office, by providing 6' of distancing between desks, and by staggering shifts.
• Limit face to face meetings to less than 10 mins.
• Promote frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer.
• Recommend that workers wear cloth face coverings.
• Encourage sick workers to stay home.

    Answers to other frequently asked questions about Phase I can be found using the following link:

    https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/FAQs-for-Phase-1-EO-FINAL.pdf

    Additional Business / Employer Guidance can also be found by using the following link.

    https://co.beaufort.nc.us/departments/human-services/public-health/2019-coronavirus-covid-19/beaufort-county-resources/business-employer-guidance

    Phase II (Could begin between May 23, 2020 and May 31, 2020, and continue through June 20, 2020 — July 11, 2020)

    Lift the Stay-at-Home order. Restaurants, Bars, Fitness Centers, Personal Care Services must follow safety protocols including the potential need to reduce capacity

    Houses of Worship & Entertainment Venues at reduced capacity.

    Increase number of people allowed at gatherings

    Recommend face coverings in public spaces when 6 ft of distancing isn't possible.

    Phase III (Could begin June 21, 2020 and July 12, 2020.)

    Increased capacity at Restaurants, Bars, Other Businesses, Houses of Worship & Entertainment Venues.

    Further increase the number of people allowed at gatherings.