COVID-19 Update: Updates to Local Order to come Monday, Notification of New COVID-19 Cases Daily on Website
Posted April 10, 2020 at 5:35 pm Category: Emergency Management • Emergency News • News Release • Other • Public Health
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC – New Hanover County Board of Commissioners Chair Julia Olson-Boseman, in collaboration with local mayors, will make final decisions and announce possible extensions or modifications to the county-wide Stay At Home order restrictions on Monday, April 13. Those updates will be shared publicly prior to the current order expiring on Monday at 5 p.m.
No new restrictions will be added to the local order, and staff is working now to ensure the local order continues to work in concert with Governor Cooper’s Executive Orders, all with the goal of helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 in New Hanover County.
“I am so proud of the way our community has understood the importance of the actions we’ve taken so far, and it is making a difference in preventing an overrun on our healthcare system, but there are people who are very ill with COVID-19, and there are many cases we may not know about, so we have to keep going and continue to fight this fight together,” said Olson-Boseman. “I am in discussions with our municipal mayors and fellow commissioners, so we can provide clarification and modifications to our local order that give residents more opportunity for outdoor activities to raise their spirits while maintaining these important mitigation efforts.”
As a reminder, the New Hanover County Stay At Home Order remains in effect until 5 p.m. on Monday, April 13. See the order and Frequently Asked Questions at Health.NHCgov.com/Coronavirus.
COVID-19 in New Hanover County
New Hanover County Public Health officials are investigating one additional case of COVID-19, bringing the cumulative total of confirmed positive cases in the county to 55. Of these, 23 people are still ill and experiencing symptoms and 32 are recovered, meaning they have been fever-free for at least three days without the use of fever-reducing medication, they have improved respiratory symptoms, and it has been at least seven days since their symptom onset.
Of the 55 overall cases of COVID-19 in New Hanover County:
- 55% female, 45% male
- 72% White, 15% Black/African American, 9% Hispanic/Latino, and 4% Unknown
- 0% are 0-17 years old, 9% are 18-24 years old, 36% are 25-49 years old, 31% are 50-64 years old, and 24% are 65+ years old.
“We know mild cases are being missed and there are more cases in our community than what is represented in this number,” said New Hanover County Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Lisa Brown. “Testing criteria focused on at-risk populations experiencing symptoms means that cases we do see are likely to be more severe. I encourage our residents to stay at home and maintain social distancing and protective measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
New cases will continue to be updated daily at Health.NHCgov.com/Coronavirus. Beginning April 11, a daily case count press release will no longer be issued except for important updates and breaking news. Please stay tuned to Health.NHCgov.com/Coronavirus for the most up-to-date information.
Drive-in Church Services
The participation of churches and houses of worship is critical to community-wide success in preventing the spread of COVID-19, and the recommendation of New Hanover County Public Health is that services are held virtually to avoid potential spread of the virus. However, according to Governor Cooper’s correspondence to the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association, drive-in church services will be allowed provided that all vehicles maintain a distance of at least six feet from any other vehicle on all sides, all people stay in their vehicles, only members of the same household occupy the same vehicle, and vehicles do not obstruct any street or sidewalk. Additionally, it is advised that services last no more than one hour in order to prevent people from needing to leave their vehicles for any reason, like going to the restroom or stretching their legs.
Slow the Spread
Steps that everyone can take to slow the spread of COVID-19 include:
- Comply with the Governor’s Stay at Home Order and New Hanover County restrictions.
- Wear Cloth Face Coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
- Stay home unless you must travel for essential purposes. If you must leave your home, follow proper physical distancing protocols: don’t gather in groups of more than 10 and stay at least 6 feet away from others.
- Stay home if you are sick, even if you are an essential worker. And cover your coughs and sneezes.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched (like your phone, tablet, countertops and daily work surfaces).
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As of 5 p.m. on Friday, April 10, 2020, there have been 55 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Hanover County. For updates and resources related to the COVID-19 virus in New Hanover County, visit Health.NHCgov.com/Coronavirus, call our Public Health Coronavirus Call Center at 910-798-6800, and follow the county’s trusted social media pages: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor.