►
From YouTube: Buncombe County COVID-19 Update (March 26, 2020)
Description
Information on the Stay Home, Stay Safe declaration can be found: https://www.buncombecounty.org/countycenter/news-detail.aspx?id=18580
Information on what to do if you're sick can be found here: https://www.buncombecounty.org/countycenter/news-detail.aspx?id=18579
A
A
Today's
community
briefing
for
March
26
2020
will
seek
to
offer
additional
clarity
on
the
questions
that
we've
been
getting
about.
The
stay
safe,
stay
home
declaration.
Once
again,
we
are
joined
by
dr.
Jennifer,
mullendore
interm,
public
health,
director
and
Fletcher
t'v,
the
public
health
preparedness
director.
B
Quarantine
is
when
someone
is
not
sick,
but
has
been
exposed
or
been
in
close
contact
with
someone
who
is
sick
and
they
stay
home
for
14
days,
checking
themselves
for
symptoms
of
illness
and
in
the
case
of
kovat
19,
that's
checking
for
fever
and
for
cough
or
difficulty
breathing
and
again
in
the
case
of
Kovan.
19.
Close
contact
means
within
six
feet
of
someone
who
is
sick
with
Cova
19
for
at
least
10
minutes.
B
We're
also
getting
questions
about
testing
of
individuals
in
Buncombe,
County
and
so
Buncombe,
County,
Health
and
Human.
Services
is
aware
of
over
1,100
tests
that
have
been
conducted
on
Buncombe
County
residents.
Since
the
start
of
this
outbreak
and
it's
possible.
There
are
other
tests
that
were
conducted
that
weren't
reported
to
us
in
terms
of
testing
that
was
done
by
Buncombe
County
Health
and
Human
Services
staff
or
at
the
county
community
testing
sites
around
100
test
results
are
still
pending.
B
B
So
we
want
everyone
to
take
it
seriously
and
to
understand
that
the
guidance
that
we're
giving
you
and
the
steps
that
we
have
taken
are
to
protect
you
and
everyone
in
our
community,
including
those
at
highest
risk
and
I,
know
that
watching
what's
going
on
in
New,
York
can
seem
like
it's
happening
on
another
planet.
It
seems
distant,
but
it's
real
and
everything
we're
trying
to
do
is
to
keep
that
from
happening
locally.
So
again,
please
stay
home
if
you're
sick
call
your
health
care
provider.
B
If
you
have
concerns,
especially
if
you're
a
high
risk
individual.
So,
if
you're
over
the
age
of
65,
if
you
have
an
underlying
health
condition,
so
especially
lung
disease,
heart
disease,
diabetes,
a
weakened
immune
system
or
if
you're
pregnant
and
all
of
us,
you
know
stay
home,
stay
with
the
people
that
you
already
live
with
to
the
extent
possible.
B
Wash
your
hands
frequently
do
everything
you
can
to
keep
yourself
from
getting
exposed
and
from
exposing
anyone
else
to
illness
and
again
I'll
refer
you
to
a
document
that
is
found
on
our
Buncombe
County
website
that
talks
about
what
you
should
do.
If
you
feel
sick,
it
provides
all
the
information
you
need
to
guide
your
decisions
about
when
to
call
your
health
care
provider
what
to
do.
If
you
have
symptoms
of
covin
19:00,
it
goes
over
the
information
about
when
you
can
release
yourself
from
isolation.
C
Good
afternoon
I'm
Fletcher
Tove
buncombe
county
public
health,
emergency
preparedness
director.
The
Supplemental
declaration
that
chairman
Newman's
signed
yesterday
goes
into
effect
tonight
at
8:00
p.m.
that
declaration
and
the
accompanying
interpretive
guidance
are
available
on
Buncombe
County
org
I'm,
going
to
spend
my
time
today
addressing
several
questions.
C
C
The
intent
is
to
keep
as
many
people
as
home
as
possible
for
the
next
two
weeks
and
to
ensure
that
any
opportunity
for
close
contact
or
another
person
is
reduced
as
much
as
possible.
We
don't
have
a
vaccine
for
kovat
19,
so
this
distancing
is
our
best
tool
right
now
to
protect
ourselves
as
dr.
mullendore
management
mentioned,
a
quarantine
period
for
an
individual
is
two
weeks.
We
set
this
declaration
to
last
for
two
weeks
to
essentially
quarantine
the
county.
C
The
bigger
picture
is
that
we're
trying
to
protect
our
most
vulnerable,
our
grandparents,
our
best
friend's
grandparents,
our
co-worker
with
diabetes,
the
kid
down
the
street
with
asthma.
So
please
keep
that
in
mind
as
I
address.
These
questions
has
the
county
received
in
many
requests
from
businesses
asking
for
waivers
and
how
is
that
being
handled?
Yes,
overnight,
we've
received
over
600
requests
and
they
continue
to
come
in
we're
and
we're
doing
our
best
to
address
those
as
quickly
as
possible.
C
If
you
are
deemed
essential
through
those
documents,
you
don't
need
any
letter
or
justification
from
Buncombe
County.
You
default
into
essential
status
if
you're
not
covered
as
essential
in
that
guidance,
but
feel
that
your
business
should
be
that's
when
we're
asking
you
to
send
an
email
to
business
at
Buncombe,
County
org,
so
that
we
can
determine
if
you
qualify,
that's
business
at
Buncombe,
County,
dot
org.
C
Those
businesses
will
receive
a
document
from
the
county
that
deems
them
as
essential
if
they
are
approved.
Many
of
the
questions
we're
receiving
are
from
the
same
industry.
So
we're
going
to
try
to
address
those
bigger
groups
through
these
press
availabilities
to
take
some
of
the
burden
off
of
our
email
response.
C
Another
question:
do
essential
workers
need
credentials
or
passes
for
travel
and
transit
in
Buncombe
County.
No
currently
Buncombe
County
has
not
taken
any
actions
to
disrupt
transit
or
roads.
We
are
only
asking
people
to
limit
their
travel
to
essential
travel
only
at
this
time,
essential
personnel
businesses
do
not
need
any
form
of
credential
or
pass
to
be
on
the
roads.
We're
seeing
a
lot
of
comments
off
of
social
media,
about
the
county,
establishing
checkpoints
or
roadblocks
and
I
want
to
assure
you
that
none
of
that
is
happening.
C
C
Another
question:
when
was
this
decision
made
and
was
it
necessary
step
for
the
community
for
the
county?
So,
in
a
sense,
the
decision
to
issue
this
declaration
was
made
months
ago
when
we
first
started
discussing
our
strategy
to
limit
the
spread
of
kovin
19
in
Buncombe
County,
we've
always
known
that
social
distancing,
keeping
our
distance
from
others
is
one
of
the
most
powerful
tools
and
from
batting
the
spread
of
any
contagious
disease.
So
we've
always
had
as
part
of
our
planning
to
ramp
up
our
social
distancing
measures.
As
the
threat
of
covin
19
increases.
C
C
C
The
larger
lawn
care
companies
should
not
be
operating
and
putting
multiple
people
into
the
cab
of
a
truck.
That's
not
acceptable
right
now
we
are
aware
and
have
read
a
letter
from
the
CEO
of
the
National
Association
of
landscape
professionals,
and
we
understand
he
is
trying
to
protect
a
livelihood
of
workers
in
his
industry.
C
However,
we
are
trying
to
protect
and
safeguard
public
safety
in
health,
so
we
have
diem
lawn
care
services
as
non
essential
for
the
next
two
weeks
is
Realty
considered
essential
aspects
of
real
estate
are
considered
essential,
particularly
appraisals
and
any
paperwork
or
closings
that
were
in
progress.
Prior
to
this
declaration,
however,
realtors
should
show
houses
virtually
and
should
avoid
doing
in
person
showings
for
the
next
two
weeks.
C
There
is
opportunity,
through
the
minimum
business
operations
clause,
to
have
a
single
individual
update
that
inventory,
so
they
can
continue
to
show
those
houses
virtually
its
construction
and
development.
Essential
residential
and
commercial
construction
activities
are
included
in
the
essential,
critical
infrastructure
exemption,
but
it's
important
for
those
workers
to
maintain
social
distancing
and
comply
with
public
health
guidance.
They
shouldn't
be
sharing
trucks
going
to
and
from
the
job
site,
and
they
should
be
wary
during
times
such
as
lunch
being
in
close
proximity
to
another.
C
Our
building,
construction,
materials
and
manufacturing
sectors
considered
essential.
Yes,
retail,
including
hardware
stores
in
the
production
and
manufacturing
of
building
and
construction
materials
are
deemed
essential
and
are
included
in
subset
since
three
and
four
of
the
Declaration,
but
again
is
critical
for
these
workers
to
observe
social,
distancing
and
public
health
guidance.
C
C
How
does
this
apply
to
people
like
house,
cleaners,
babysitters
and
nannies?
Go
into
other
people's
homes
for
work,
so
baby,
sitters,
nannies
and
cleaners
are
deemed
essential.
Under
this
declaration
they
meet
child
care
needs
and
they
fall
under
our
caring
and
supporting
a
friend
and
neighbor
clause.
However,
it
is
up
to
the
individual
to
determine
if
having
someone
come
into
your
home
is
safe.
You
need
to
consider,
if
you
understand
what
those
service
providers
are
exposed
to,
how
many
homes
are
they
going
into
a
week
who
is
in
and
out
of
their
homes?
C
C
One
more
question:
I
live
in
Bochum
County,
but
I
work
in
a
neighboring.
County
am
I
allowed
to
go
to
work?
Yes,
Buncombe
County
does
not
have
the
authority
to
regulate
employment
activities
outside
of
Buncombe
County,
while
we
encourage
everyone
to
stay
home
to
the
greatest
extent
possible
and
to
stay
safe.
Reggie's
residents
of
Buncombe
County,
who
are
employed
outside
the
county
may
travel
to
work
regardless
of
the
nature
of
the
occupation
and
whether
or
not
that
would
be
defined
as
essential
under
the
Buncombe
County
declaration.
C
One
final
note,
as
this
declaration
goes
into
effect
tonight,
grocery
stores
will
remain
open.
As
will
convenience
stores
go
into.
The
grocery
store
is
deemed
essential
with
what
we
do.
Ask
you
to
plan
ahead
and
limit
those
trips
to
the
grocery
stores.
So
again,
there's
no
need
for
everyone
to
make
it
run
on
the
grocery
stores,
in
conduct,
panic,
buying
and
clean
the
stocks
of
fresh
meat,
toilet
paper
and
other
essentials.
C
When
you
do
that
in
a
sense
you
are
taking
from
people
who
maybe
do
not
have
the
means
to
buy
ahead
or
the
opportunities
and
schedules
that
allow
them
to
keep
up
with
that
panic
line.
So
please,
when
you
go
out
to
stores
and
stock
up
for
this
period,
do
so
responsibly
and
not
excessively.
Thank
you.
A
We
understand
that
the
community
has
many
questions
about
the
Cova
19
response
in
Buncombe
County
heading
into
week,
three
of
the
Kovan
19
response.
We
are
working
to
develop
a
routine
that
allows
us
to
sustain
our
ability
to
provide
updates
to
our
community
ongoing
and
for
a
long
time.
This
is
a
marathon.
Not
a
sprint.
Here
is
what
the
community
can
expect
from
the
emergency
operation
center
or
the
EOC
regarding
covin
19
community
updates,
starting
this
weekend
and
beginning
the
week
of
March
30th,
and
that's
this
coming
Monday.
A
There
are
no
community
updates
from
the
EOC
scheduled
for
this
weekend,
Mondays
and
Thursdays
at
2:30
p.m.
we
will
continue
to
offer
community
briefings
via
Facebook
live
on
the
Buncombe
County
government.
Facebook
page
information
such
as
case
counts,
will
be
perfecto
stood
by
2:30
p.m.
on
weekdays
on
Buncombe
counties,
government,
page
Cova,
19
web
page
and
that's
Buncombe,
County
org.
A
A
Our
goal
is
to
make
sure
that
all
members
of
our
community
have
the
information
that
they
need
to
be
safe
during
this
pandemic.
This
is
a
fast-moving
situation
and
we
are
working
diligently
to
respond
to
the
high
volume
of
questions
coming
into
the
EOC.
This
speaks
to
the
desire
of
our
community
to
protect
our
most
vulnerable
members,
and
we
appreciate
your
patience
and
understanding
as
we
navigate
these
unprecedented
times
as
one
bunkum.