NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC – New Hanover County Board of Commissioners Chair Julia Olson-Boseman, in collaboration with the mayors of the City of Wilmington and the towns of Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach, will extend the county’s existing Stay at Home Order until April 29 at 5 p.m. to continue mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
In addition to adding two weeks to the county-wide order, some restrictions will be lifted beginning today, April 13, at 5 p.m. Those include:
In addition, several enhancements have been made to the order:
“As we move through the coming days and weeks, it’s important that we continuously reevaluate the restrictions in place and revise them as needed,” said Olson-Boseman. “Our local mayors and I will continue to do that throughout this process, and we hope to be able to lift other restrictions in the coming weeks. Those decisions will be informed by our Public Health and hospital experts, who have the greatest insight into this health crisis and can help guide those decisions in a thoughtful, safe way. The community’s health is paramount, but we also know that we need to get back to life, reopen businesses, and access services as soon as possible. By allowing tennis courts, boat ramps and marinas to open, we hope that people will enjoy these spring days outside, but you have to use good judgment, physically distance yourself from others, and avoid congregating for any reason.”
An updated State of Emergency declaration that consolidates, restates, and supersedes the previous declaration can be viewed here. A press conference was also held at 1 p.m. to share additional information and that can watched on the county’s Facebook page.
The county’s updated declaration supports the Governor’s statewide orders, including the most recent new social distancing policies for retail establishments, to slow the spread of COVID-19 and help prevent our healthcare system from becoming overburdened.
The order goes into effect today – Monday, April 13 – at 5 p.m. and replaces the previous orders that have been made since the initial State of Emergency declaration on March 20.
“While there is some loosening of restrictions, it is still critical that our residents listen to our Public Health guidance,” said Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Lisa Brown. “The cases we are reporting are the people whose symptoms are more severe and are therefore having testing done, so remember that there are other people – outside of our 60 – who likely have this virus and have more mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. The more you can stay home and keep at least six feet of distance from others, the better your health and the health of those around you will be.”
Slow the Spread
Steps that everyone can take to slow the spread of COVID-19 include:
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As of noon on Monday, April 13, 2020, there have been 60 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.