Commissioners considered similar local measure after county’s first positive case of COVID-19 was reported March 25
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The commissioners’ meeting took place on the second floor of the Historic Courthouse instead of the usual meeting room in the administration building to adhere to the practice of social distancing.
BAKERSVILLE – The Mitchell County Board of Commissioners met in a special session Thursday, March 26, to discuss the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the county and consider possible actions in the near future, such as a shelter-in-place order. Gov. Roy Cooper announced Friday, March 27, a stay-at-home order would be implemented by the state and began this past Monday. The Order is in effect for 30 days, until April 29.
The Mitchell County Health Department, part of Toe River Health District, was notified at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, that a Mitchell County resident had tested positive for novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, and the individual is in isolation.
“Mitchell County has been preparing for this reality and anticipated that our community would likely be impacted at some point,” said Diane Creek, director of the Toe River Health District. “Public health staff have already initiated an investigation and will be identifying close contacts to contain the spread of disease. To protect individual privacy, no further information about the case will be released.”
The case was the only one known in Mitchell County at press time Monday. No one disclosed the identity of the infected person at the meeting, but it was revealed she is a female who had recently traveled and works in an “essential” profession. When asked how many people this person had been in contact with, Toe River Health District Nursing Supervisor Christy Duncan said, “a lot.”
Various government and health officials were at the special meeting to provide insight to the commissioners about formulating plans to protect the community, including Creek, Emergency Management Director Kolby Silver, Sheriff Donald Street, Josh Newton and Chuck Shelton from the Mountain Community Health Partnership and Blue Ridge Regional Hospital CEO Dr. Tonia Hale.
A State of Emergency was declared by the commissioners Wednesday, March 18, and a suspension of short-term rentals was announced Tuesday, March 24.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting cases of and deaths from the coronavirus in the state continue to rise. Gov. Cooper said the shelter-in-place order will last for 30 days, until April 29, in another step to slow the spread of the virus.
Gov. Cooper’s Executive Order No. 121 also reduces the size of gatherings to 10 people. The order provides for essential businesses to continue to operate while prioritizing social distancing measures. The Order has the force of law and will be enforced in all 100 counties statewide.
This article has been updated to reflect that the order is called a stay-at-home order, not a shelter-in-place order.