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New Hanover County Reinstates Face Coverage Policy Inside County Buildings In Response To Rising COVID-19 Cases Across County
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, North Carolina – New Hanover County will reinstate its mandatory facial coverage policy for all county employees and customers inside county facilities, beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday, August 6, 2021. The policy, which can be viewed here, applies to everyone, regardless of immunization status, who is inside a county building unless they qualify for an exemption outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The policy does not apply to outdoor spaces on county properties and is specific to buildings owned by the county only, not the county as a whole.
The implementation of this inner face covering mandate comes after a notable increase in daily new cases of COVID-19 across the county, with 386 new cases reported to public health in the past week and a total of 784 cases presumed to be active in the community. In addition, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 4,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the state on Thursday, the largest single-day increase in several months.
The CDC also recently recommended that anyone in areas designated as having significant or greater spread wear a face covering in indoor public places, even those that are fully vaccinated, to help prevent the spread of the Delta variant and to protect others. New Hanover County is classified as having high transmission as of August 5, according to the CDC data tracker.
“The primary responsibility of New Hanover County is to serve our citizens,” County Director Chris Coudriet said. “With the recent increases in virus spread related to the Delta variant, vital county services for our community are put at risk if employees are exposed or infected. So, following CDC guidelines and implementing an inner face covering mandate will help protect our community and citizens. We have prioritized public health and safety throughout the pandemic and continue to do so with this implementation. “
Disposable face covers will be available for citizens inside county buildings, if required.
The CDC notes that those who should not wear face coverings include: children under the age of 2, a person with a disability who cannot wear a face cover or cannot safely wear a face cover, for disability-related reasons, and a person for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to occupational health, safety or work, as determined by the workplace risk assessment. Everyone else should wear a face cover to protect themselves and others when inside public spaces. Find out more here.
In addition to the face covering policy, the county leadership team is currently reviewing a possible vaccination policy for employees, following the vaccine recommendation from the Board of Health and Human Services which was received earlier. this week. Further details regarding any policy framework will be shared next week.
COVID-19 Data in New Hanover County:
- As of August 5, there had been 20,740 total cases of COVID-19 in New Hanover County, including 386 new cases in the past week.
- Of the total number of cases, 19,776 have recovered and 784 cases are presumed to be still active. Unfortunately, 180 people have died from the virus.
- In New Hanover County, about 131,335 residents (about 56%) have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and about 123,465 residents (about 53%) are fully immunized and protected against COVID-19.
NHC Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics (no appointment needed)
- A Shot & A Beer: Vaccine Happy Hour at Waterline Brewing (721 Surry Street)
- Friday August 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Health and social services clinic (1650, rue Greenfield)
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Independence Mall (3500 Oleander Drive)
- Tuesday and Thursday, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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