Beaufort County Emergency Management: COVID-19 Update (5-21-20) | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

5/21/2020 Beaufort County, NC
COVID-19 SITREP
The following information is as of 5pm
Updates from our previous posting have been highlighted.

    Case Statistics
 PopulationTotal
Confirmed Cases
Current
Active Cases
DeathsRecovered
Worldwide7.6 Billion5,047,377 (+81,371)3,123,146 (+37,495)329,816 (+3,450)1,924,231 (+43,876)
USA330 Million1,562,714 (+15,361)1,268,402 (+10,441)93,863 (+744)294,312 (+4,920)
NC10.4 Million20,512 (+603)8,845 (+603)728 (+6)11,637
Beaufort Co.47,000356 (-2)029 (+2)
*Text in red or green indicates changes since our last update.*

  • NC has total 20,512 confirmed cases, across 99 counties, with 728 deaths. Our state currently has 8,845 active cases and 578 hospitalizations.
  • Beaufort County has had a total of 35 cases, with 6 currently active. Twelve (12) of our positive cases were asymptomatic. (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:
    • (16) case was contributed to direct contact with a known patient from another county.
    • (2) cases were related to travel to a known outbreak area.
    • (17) cases are attributed to community spread.
  • All active cases are self-isolating.
  • Eastern NC counties with total confirmed cases include: Bertie, (98), Beaufort (35), Bladen (81), Brunswick (62), Carteret (36), Camden (3), Chowan (15), Columbus (259), Craven (135), Currituck (11), Dare (22), Duplin (470), Edgecombe (174), Gates (14), Greene (51), Halifax (125), Hertford (60), Hyde (1), Jones (23), Lenoir (168), Martin (39), New Hanover (146), North Hampton (131), Onslow (80), Pamlico (9), Pasquotank (90), Pender (50), Perquimans (23), Pitt (228) Sampson (302), Tyrrell (4), Washington (26), Wayne (888) and Wilson (261). Mecklenburg (2,780), Wake (1,326), and Durham (1,131) 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 II (Will begin at 5pm Friday, 5/22 and continue through June 26, 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 (Bar & Fitness Centers will remain closed under Executive Order 141)

    Increase number of people allowed at gatherings

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

    NC DHHS has released the following Requirements & Recommendations for Phase II

    Social Distancing and Minimizing Exposure

    Social distancing is a key tool to decrease the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing ("physical distancing") means keeping space between you and other people outside of your home. Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms' length) from other people; do not gather in groups; stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings. Phase 2 includes several requirements and recommendations to support social distancing in spaces where the public may gather.

    Restaurants are required to:

  • Ensure social distancing by arranging tables and seating to achieve at least 6-foot separation between parties for indoor and outdoor dining.
    • Each group of people sitting at a counter should be separated by six (6) feet.
  • Permit no more than 50% of maximum occupancy as stated in fire capacity. Restaurants may permit up to 12 people per 1,000 feet if there is not a fire code number available.
  • Post the reduced "Emergency Maximum Capacity" in conspicuous place. Sign templates are available in English and Spanish on the NC DHHS COVID-19 response site.
  • Post signage reminding people about social distancing (staying at least 6 feet away from others). Know Your W's sign templates are available in English and Spanish on the NC DHHS COVID-19 response website.
  • Mark six (6) feet of spacing in lines at high-traffic areas for customers, such as any cash register or any place where customers wait to be seated

    It is recommended that restaurants:

  • Allow no more than 6 people at a table, unless they are a family from the same household.
  • You do not need to ask whether groups are a family.
  • Don't use shared tables among multiple parties unless the seats can be arranged to maintain social distancing between parties.
  • Require patrons to wait outside, with markings to ensure 6 feet apart, with floor markings and instructions for social distancing.
  • Provide hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) at the entrance when available.
  • Provide education to employees on how to properly wear, remove, and wash or dispose of face coverings.
  • Install physical barriers, such as sneeze guards and partitions at cash registers, or other food pickup areas where maintaining physical separation of 6 feet is difficult.
  • Advise all waitstaff to stay 6 feet away from customers to the extent possible.
  • Advise all employees to stay 6 feet away from each other to the extent possible.
  • Stagger seating times to the extent possible by using reservation systems or other methods; rotate or stagger shifts to limit the number of employees in the workplace at the same time
  • Consider alternative options to gathering lots of people in a small area, such as having people wait in their cars and alerting them by phone when their table is ready.
  • Staff meetings should be held virtually or provided by written notes instead of congregating.
  • Reduce condiments and other items on the table for use between customers; provide condiments by request only; or provide disposable condiment packs.
  • Continue to provide take-out, curbside pickup, and delivery options.
  • Use rolled utensils and discontinue preset table settings.
  • Continue to offer contactless payment options, curbside pickup, and delivery; if possible, use phone app technology to alert patrons when their table is ready to avoid use of pagers or buzzers.
  • Use touchless payment options as much as possible. Ask customers and employees to exchange cash or card payments by placing on a receipt tray or on the counter rather than by hand. Wipe any pens, counters, or trays between use and between customers with a disinfecting wipe.
  • Designate an ordering area at bars when wait staff are not available to visit each table. The ordering area should be at least 6 feet from other patrons seated at bar.

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