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Description
Buncombe County Health and Human Services/Emergency Services Coronavirus (COVID-19) Media Briefing from March 17, 2020.
A
A
A
Good
afternoon
welcome
to
the
Buncombe
County
government
media
update
it's
March
17th.
First
of
all,
I
would
like
to
introduce
myself.
My
name
is
Stacy
wood,
I'm,
the
Health
and
Human
Services
public
information
officer
thanks
to
everyone
who
is
here
to
help
us
get
this
information
out
to
our
community.
A
Today
we
have
with
us
some
simultaneous
Spanish
interpretation
through
sin
Saleh,
and
we
also
have
American
sign
language
interpreters
with
us
today,
Regina
pinte
and
Liz
Phipps,
before
a
let's
see
before
all
of
our
speakers
present
today,
I'm
going
to
ask
them
to
come
up
to
the
mic
and
say
their
name
and
spell
it
we'll
start
with
that.
And
after
that
is
done,
we
will
get
started
with
remarks
from
Justice
Calvin
Hill,
who
will
update
us
on
court
Buncombe
County
court
operations.
C
D
A
E
E
E
Matters
like
probable
cause
hearings,
bond
hearings,
some
domestic
violence
matters
and
juvenile
matters,
constitutional,
they
must
be
held,
and
so
we
are
still
doing
those
matters
in
the
course
judges
still
have
the
ability
to
conduct
some
matters.
That
would
otherwise
be
continued
if
the
judge
can
get
those
in
an
atmosphere
that
would
provide
for
the
safety
of
all
of
the
participants
consistent
with
the
Chief
Justice.
In
order
we
are
not
doing
any
jury
trials.
E
We
have
posted
appropriate
notices
around
the
courthouse
related
to
people
who
have
been
exposed
to
this
covert
19th
hours,
people
who
have
traveled
to
areas
that
have
been
affected
by
the
virus,
so
those
posts
have
been
made
around
the
courthouse
and
people
appear
to
be
complying
with
those
one
of
the
biggest
situations.
We're
dealing
with
is
sheriff.
E
Miller
spoke
to
me
several
days
ago
about
our
jail
population
and
asked
us
as
judges
to
do
what
we
could
do
to
try
to
reduce
the
number
of
people
being
held
in
our
Jail
to
get
as
many
people
out
of
that
jail,
as
we
possibly
safely
can
do
and
then
to
keep
as
many
people
out
of
there,
as
we
safely
can
do
and,
of
course,
we're
trying
to
cooperate
with
the
sheriff
on
that.
We've
already
begun
to
look
at
cases
where
we
believe
we
can
safely
let
people
back
out
into
the
community.
E
C
C
C
They
have
been
provided
guidance
on
what
they
need
to
do
to
monitor
themselves
for
symptoms
of
kovat
19
and
what
they
should
do.
If
they
develop
symptoms,
quarantine
orders
have
been
and
are
being
issued
for
those
close
contacts
who
were
identified
as
having
medium
or
high
risk
of
exposure
to
the
case.
/
CDC
guidance.
If
you
have
not
been
contacted
by
a
Buncombe
County
communicable
disease
nurse,
you
are
not
considered
a
close
contact
of
the
case
and
do
not
need
to
take
any
action
beyond
what
we
are
telling
the
general
public
to
do.
I.
C
C
C
Testing
is
available
to
all
members
of
our
community,
regardless
of
their
income
or
ability
to
pay.
However,
it
is
important
for
people
to
understand.
Testing
is
specifically
for
people
who
have
symptoms
of
Cova
19,
so
you
must
have
a
fever
combined
with
either
a
cough
or
shortness
of
breath,
or
if
you
are
a
contact
with
someone
with
no
known
kovat
19
and
are
also
having
symptoms
of
fever,
cough
or
shortness
of
breath.
C
This
is
an
unprecedented
public
health
event
in
our
community
and
it
will
take
all
of
us
working
together
to
stop
the
spread
of
kovat
19
again.
It
is
important
for
our
community
to
remain
calm,
stay
informed
and
be
prepared
for
the
spread
of
this
illness.
It
remains
critical
that
everyone
follow
the
guidance
to
stay
home
when
you
are
sick,
continue
to
wash
your
hands
frequently
and
cover
coughs
and
sneezes
and
again,
if
you
are
a
high
risk,
individual,
a
person
over
the
age
of
65,
a
person
with
underlying
health
conditions
or
a
weakened
immune
system.
C
D
Good
afternoon,
the
good
news
for
us
today
is
that
there's
very
little
to
update
from
a
mission
health
care
point
of
view.
We
continue
to
be
ever
working
on
our
preparedness
for
an
anticipated
surge
of
patients,
and
that
includes
readying
additional
space
in
our
facilities,
staffing
plans
and
general
preparedness
across
the
board.
We,
as
dr.
mullendore,
alluded
to
have
had
no
additional
cases
identified
in
our
facilities,
but
we
continue
to
test
while
widely.
D
B
Good
afternoon
flood
stove
emergency
preparedness
coordinator,
governor
Cooper
and
members
of
the
state
coronavirus
task
force,
a
holding
a
media
briefing.
Today
at
2
p.m.
at
that
briefing,
we
expect
governor
Cooper
to
announce
a
new
executive
order
in
response
to
covin
19
that
closes
restaurants,
bars
and
breweries
statewide
for
dining
customers,
but
allows
them
to
continue
takeout
and
delivery
orders.
B
We
also
expect
that
this
executive
order
will
include
an
expansion
of
unemployment
insurance
to
help
North
Carolina
workers
affected
buck,
Ovid
19
the.
If
this
order
is
expected
to
become
effective
at
5:00
p.m.
today,
Tuesday
March
17th
and
it
will
apply
to
all
of
Baulkham
County
and
all
of
its
municipalities,
Buncombe
County,
Public
Health
has
been
communicating
and
collaborating
all
week
with
ere
actual
independent
restaurants
explore
Asheville
the
Chamber
of
Commerce
and
the
Tourism
Development
Authority
to
prepare
local
restaurants
for
this
type
of
directive.
B
Mitigating
measures
I
mentioned
yesterday
that
there
will
be
some
who
will
be
confused
or
frustrated
by
these
decisions
and
some
decisions
yet
to
come,
and
I
want
to
reiterate
that
these
decisions
are
made
to
safeguard
the
public
health
in
our
community
and
especially
those
most
at
risk.
This
is
about
protecting
our
most
vulnerable.
B
B
A
G
C
F
C
So
there
has
been
a
lot
of
discussion
locally,
a
lot
of
questions
that
have
been
asked
of
me
by
child
care
center
operators
after
the
governor
issued
the
order
to
close
K
through
12
schools,
and
so
what
I
would
say
about
the
situation
is
that
there
is
still
a
lot.
We
do
not
know
about
kovat
19
and
the
role
that
children
play
in
the
spread
of
infection
as
of
now.
C
C
But
the
guidance
has
been
for
child
care
is
to
remain
open
in
order
to
have
a
place
for
those
children
to
be
while
their
parents,
who
might
be
health
care
personnel
who
need
to
report
to
work.
Public
health
professionals
who
need
to
work
report
to
work,
have
a
place
to
to
provide
their
care
for
their
children
and
the
guidance
I've
given
them
is.
If
you
have
high-risk
individuals
who
staff
your
childcare.
Maybe
this
is
the
time
to
send
them
home
and
have
parents.
C
G
E
Tell
you
exactly
how
many
we've
released,
but
I
can
estimate
that
is
somewhere
between
probably
thirty
and
fifty
at
this
time
and
people
that
we've
been
dealing
with
yesterday
and
today
are
people
primarily
with
misdemeanor
charges
lost
in
their
trespasses.
Many
of
them
were
people
who
have
missed
courts
and
were
picked
up
and
returned
to
the
jail
so
didn't
pose
in
a
real
threat
to
the
community.
We
thought
we
could
safely
released
those
the
process
is
there.
E
Lawyers
will
come
to
the
course
with
some
pretrial
information
about
this
person
about
what
that
charge
is
what
the
current
bond
is
some
history
about
their
appearances
in
court,
and
then
we
look
at
that
and
make
a
make
a
decision
of
whether
we
believe
we
can
safely
release
them
back
into
into
the
community
with
all
parts.
Are
your
question.
H
B
This
is
an
important
issue
to
be
hearing
about
every
day.
A
lot
of
the
messaging
is
the
same.
You
know
we
are
here
in
the
non-pharmaceutical
interventions,
advice
that
we've
been
giving
out
for
months
at
this
point:
hand-washing
basic
hygiene,
social
distancing.
The
reason
we
reiterate
that
every
single
day
is
because
it's
so
important,
it's
so
fundamental
in
the
simple
step
that
everyone
can
do
to
combat
the
spread
and
limited
exposure,
and
the
ramifications
of
this
if
people
don't
take
appropriate
action
is
a
significant.
B
D
Think
that's
a
an
exceptionally
insightful
question
and
one
I
appreciate
Fletcher's
answer
it's.
It
cannot
be
ignored
what
the
impact
of
this
kind
of
social
stress
has
on
the
individual
there's
issues
of
isolation.
There's
issues
of
anxiety,
there's
issues
of
a
the
list
goes
on
and
on
and
on
the
first
thing
that
we
encourage
our
patients
to
do
is
to
reach
out
to
their
healthcare
providers
and
get
help
if
they
have
any
real
serious
issues.
D
We
don't
want
that
and
then
we
will
be
we're
hoping
to
push
forward
a
media
social
media
event
that
involves
some
of
our
behavioral
health
and
social
licensed
clinical
social
work.
People
to
address
that
exact
issue,
so
the
community
can
come
together
and
share
it.
Some
of
those
anxieties
that's
off
in
a
way
that
we
can
appreciate
how
to
how
to
handle
that
better.
So
that
will
be
forthcoming
and
I
don't
want
to
put
a
timeline
on
it,
but
it's
it's
been
raised
at
the
Health
System
and
we
recognize
the
need
for
that.
G
Another
question:
I,
don't
know
if
this
is
for
you
Fletch,
there's
growing
concern
about
the
economic
fallout
from
the
kovat
19
virus.
Are
there?
Is
there
anybody
today
to
talk
about
how
small
business
owners
can
seek
remedy
or
help?
Or
can
you
address
that
or
can
you
point
people
in
the
right
direction
as
they
continue
to
have
concerns
about
the
economic
fallout?
Yes,.
B
I
know
locally
we're
compiling
some
resources
that,
as
we
meet
with
area,
independent
restaurants
and
the
Chamber
of
Commerce,
were
pushing
out
to
them.
So
as
they
face
these
decisions,
you
know
we
have
those
resources
through
our
economic
services
through
our
Small
Business
Administration,
and
we're
compiling
those
and
pushing
those
out
through
our
Emergency
Operations
Center.
So
again,
we're
acutely
aware
of
how
these
effects
cascade
throughout
the
local
economy
in
the
local
community
and
we're
working
hard
to
provide
those
resources
and
we're
looking
for
some
leadership
from
government
Cooper
this
afternoon
and
regards
to
that.
E
The
answer
to
that
as
of
right
now
is
we
are
not
processing
any
eviction
matters.
Our
situation
in
the
course
just
like
everywhere
else
is
changing
literally
minute
to
minute.
So
on
yesterday,
when
we
got
to
work,
there
were
a
few
eviction
cases
that
were,
although
that
were
already
in
the
pipeline,
those
cases
will
probably
be
processed,
but
as
of
about
four
o'clock
yesterday,
we
are
not
processing
innovation
matters.
Those
did
not
fall
into
the
category
of
cases
that
were
essential
for
us
to
process.
So
at
this
time
we
are
not
processing
eviction
case.
I
C
The
question
had
to
do
with:
why
is
the
case
that
we've
been
talking
about
the
presumptive
positive
case
not
showing
up
on
the
state
website
as
under
either
Buncombe,
County
or
Meagan
County,
so
how
public
health
cases
are
identified
as
by
the
county
of
residence?
This
individual
is
a
resident
of
New
York
State.
Therefore,
she
does
not
count
as
a
case
in
North
Carolina.
A
Okay,
if
there
are
no
more
questions
on
the
line,
we
will
end
this
media
briefing.
I
want
to
say
thank
you
to
members
of
the
media
who
are
bearing
with
us
as
we
adapt
to
these
changing
right.
You
know
precautions
and
recommendations
that
are
coming
down
to
us
rapidly.
So
thank
you
for
your
partnership
and
for
hanging
in
there
with
us.