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

Press Release:

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

• NC has total 19,239 confirmed cases, across 99 counties, with 693 deaths. Our state currently has 7,602 active cases and 585 hospitalizations.
• Beaufort County has had a total of 33 cases, with 6 currently active. Eleven (11) of our positive cases were asymptomatic, to include our newest 3 cases. (Meaning they experienced no COVID-19 symptoms.) Our newest cases have also been attributed to direct contact with another positive case(s). Contact tracing of these known cases have concluded:
  • (13) 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.
  • (1) case is still under investigation.
• All active cases are self-isolating.
• Eastern NC counties with total confirmed cases include: Bertie, (89), Beaufort (33), Bladen (73), Brunswick (58), Carteret (36), Camden (2), Chowan (15), Columbus (250), Craven (129), Currituck (11), Dare (22), Duplin (438), Edgecombe (171), Gates (14), Greene (51), Halifax (113), Hertford (53), Hyde (1), Jones (23), Lenoir (158), Martin (36), New Hanover (140), North Hampton (130), Onslow (75), Pamlico (9), Pasquotank (88), Pender (49), Perquimans (23), Pitt (213) Sampson (259), Tyrrell (4), Washington (26), Wayne (867) and Wilson (249). Mecklenburg (2,652), Wake (1,253), and Durham (1,040) counties have the most cases.

Please Remember and Practice "The 3 Ws"
Wear Face Coverings Wait 6' Apart Wash Your Hands Often

    Opening Beaufort County — A Message from Beaufort County's Health Department

    Beaufort County's Health Department has created a quick informational video that shares tips and safety measures to assist in the safe reopening of our local businesses. This video can be viewed using the following link:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPse42FID40

    We will continue to provide additional guidance as our state progresses through its tiered reopening plan.

    Testing Update — A Message from Beaufort County's Health Department.     May 18th 2020

    Washington, NC — Due to efforts towards re-opening Beaufort County, starting May 18th, 2020, we are updating testing procedures and capabilities. Individuals that qualify to be tested are as follows:

• Patients hospitalized with symptoms
• Healthcare facility workers, workers in congregate living settings, and first responders with symptoms
• Residents in long-term care facilities or other congregate living settings, including correctional facilities, homeless shelters and migrant farm worker camps, with symptoms
• Persons with symptoms of potential COVID-19 infection, including: fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, new loss of taste or smell, vomiting or diarrhea, and/or sore throat.
• Persons without symptoms, but who are high risk, please call the health department or your provider.

    Increased testing and expanded contact tracing are important steps to allow Beaufort County to move forward with re-opening. Increased testing allows us to identify those who have COVID- 19. It also allows for early isolation of individuals to help prevent the spread of COVID. We do this by tracking down the contacts of the source patient and notifying them of their exposure and quarantining them.

    If you feel ill or meet criteria to be tested, please contact one of the following locations to make an appointment:

• Beaufort County Health Department (252-946-1902)
• Vidant Multi-speciality Clinic – Belhaven (252-943-0600)
• AGAPE Community Health Center (252-940-0602)
• Vidant Family Medicine – Aurora (252-322-4021)
• Vidant Internal Medicine – Washington (252-946-2101)
• Other providers are conducting testing, but please call ahead to schedule an appointment.

    In addition, remember the 3 W's to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

1. WEAR a face covering.
2. WAIT 6 feet apart and avoid close contact.
3. WASH your hands often or use hand sanitizer.

    Continue to stay up to date regarding COVID-19 by visiting our website at:     https://co.beaufort.nc.us/departments/human-services/public-health/2019-coronavirus-covid-19.

    For general questions regarding COVID-19, please contact the Beaufort County Health Department at 252.946.1902 or bchealth@bchd.net.

• James Madson, RN, MPH
• Health Director
• Beaufort County 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.