November 27, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: COVID-19 Burke County Media Briefing
Burke County’s Response to COVID-19
• Burke County is currently at 4110 positive cases. These are cumulative cases for the county. If you want to see a breakdown of the cases please go visit the https://www.burkenc.org/dashboard webpage
• The Burke County COVID-19 dashboard will only be updated during Thanksgiving on Friday, November 27 and Sunday, November 29
• Para español llame al 764-9150 y presione el número dos. Si nadie contesta deje un corto mensaje con su nombre y numero de teléfono.
Please plan to get your flu shot if you haven’t already gotten one. It is important to reduce the number of flu cases within our area along with COVID-19.
Newest Governor’s Executive Order 180:
Goes into effect Wednesday, November 25 at 5pm
1. A face covering will be required in all indoor settings if there are non-household members present regardless of the distance away
2. Face coverings are still required in outdoor settings if individuals are unable to stay more than six feet away from non-household members
3. In indoor gyms and fitness facilities, face coverings are now required when people are exercising
4. In restaurants, guests are required to wear face coverings at their table unless they are actively eating or drinking
5. Retail business locations with more than 15,000 sq feet of interior space must have a worker at each entrance open to the public who is responsible for enforcing the face covering order and emergency maximum occupancy requirement
6. Customers using public transportation can be denied entry if they refuse to wear a face covering
7. The executive order’s face covering requirements are now enforceable by law enforcement against individuals
The Governor’s new order reduces the number of people who can gather indoors from 25 to 10 people. No gatherings can exceed the current limits within the Governor’s Executive Order of 10 people indoors and 50 people outdoors. Outdoor activities are always preferred over indoor since being in the wind and air can help reduce the spread of this virus. If you are going to have a small gathering regardless of the
recommendations, please make sure that people wear their face coverings while inside and that EVERYONE physically distances themselves more than 6 feet away from others.
We cannot do any more COVID testing this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday and government closures so you can go to the State’s COVID webpage at www.covid19.ncdhhs.gov and go to the Find My Testing Place tab to find another testing place within Burke County. We will resume testing appointments on Monday, November 30.
If you have any further questions or need additional information, contact the Burke County Public Information Line at 828-764-9150, Monday – Friday from 8am – 5pm. After hours, weekends and holidays, please leave a message and your call will be answered as soon as staff returns. Or you can also visit the Burke County COVID-19 webpage at www.burkenc.org/COVID-19.
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