Dare County outlines safety guidelines for future visitors in Monday’s update
Dare County outlined the state and county guidelines for safely visiting the Outer Banks in their Monday update, which includes the three “Ws” – Wear a face covering, Wash your hands, and Wait six feet apart.
Additional updates from the county for Monday, May 11, are as follows
Department of Health & Human Services
- State Cases of COVID-19
In North Carolina, there are currently 15,045 cases of COVID-19 in 99 counties. There have been 550 fatalities in NC associated with COVID-19. Currently, the state is reporting 464 hospitalizations across the state from COVID-19 illness.
- County’s Positive Test Results
Dare County received 3 new positive COVID-19 test results over the weekend. All three of these individuals who tested positive are Dare County residents and acquired the virus by direct contact. All direct contacts identified with these individuals were notified over the weekend.
The number of positive COVID-19 tests in Dare County is 21. Of those 21, 14 have recovered or are asymptomatically cleared, 1 died and 6 are active. Active means an individual currently has the COVID-19 virus and is being monitored daily by the health department. Of the 6 active cases, 1 is hospitalized and the other 5 are recovering in home isolation.
For the most up to date information on COVID-19 cases in Dare County and the State of North Carolina, visit darenc.com/covid19.
Face Coverings
The state of North Carolina has moved into phase one of the three-phased approach to lift restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19. Local regulations are now in accordance with state guidelines and this includes the recommendation to wear face coverings if you will be with other people. Some people have asked why the face coverings are no longer required and only strongly recommended. One reason is to maintain consistency so that Dare County’s regulations are in sync with the state and there is less confusion. The other reason is that a countywide requirement cannot be uniformly enforced.
Local businesses have the ability to require face coverings for their personnel and customers and this is strongly encouraged and enables local businesses to enforce the requirement on site. Printable signage regarding face coverings in businesses is available in the resources section at darenc.com/covidbusiness.
Face coverings are a crucial part of the first line of defense against COVID-19. With visitors returning on Saturday, May 16, it is important for each of us to do our part and practice the Three W’s that are recommended by state and local health officials: Wear a face covering, Wash your hands, and Wait six feet apart. Take the right measures to protect yourself, your family, coworkers and the community.
Practice Your “Ws”
Health officials can’t stress the Three W’s enough – Wear. Wait. Wash. As North Carolina eases some COVID-19 restrictions, the NC Department of Health and Human Services and local public health officials are asking people to remember these three things to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve.
If you leave home, practice your Ws: Wear, Wait, Wash
- Wear a cloth face covering if you will be with other people.
- Wait 6 feet apart. Avoid close contact.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
Vacationing Differently
While the Outer Banks will begin to welcome vacationers on Saturday, May 16, it is important for everyone to understand that vacations and visits to the Outer Banks will look different this year. Businesses have restrictions in place which are mandated by state Executive Order 138.
Restaurants are only permitted to provide take out, drive thru or delivery at this time. No seated service, indoors or outdoors, is allowed under Executive Order 138.
Lodging accommodations are implementing different protocols and procedures to help ensure the safety of guests and staff. You may not see daily housekeeping in hotels, you may not have access to the fitness room or pool. We encourage you to check with your accommodations provider before arrival so you understand what may be different this year compared to previous years.
The Dare County Board of Commissioners will hold their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, May 18 at 5:00 p.m. at the Dare County Administration Building in Manteo. The meeting will be streamed live and can be accessed on the Dare County YouTube Channel. Public comments may be presented to the Board by sending an email prior to or during the meeting to DCBOC@darenc.com.
Large Item Pick-Up in Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon
Dare County Public Works will complete a previously postponed large item pick‐up for residential customers in Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo and Avon on Wednesday, May 13. Due to COVID-19, there will be changes in pick-up procedures. Material MUST be sorted into 4 SEPARATE PILES in front of your property, in the right-of-way. Large Item Pick-Up will be conducted by machinery. Personnel will not sort piles. If an unacceptable item or unsorted pile remains on the roadside following pick-up, that indicates that it has been rejected and must be disposed of at the owner’s expense.
Materials must be at the curbside no later than 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13. There will not be a second-day pick-up. Please note, no commercial business debris will be picked up. The four piles include:
- Metal and Appliances – please remove refrigerator doors*
- Furniture, Mattresses and Boxsprings
- Tires
- Motor Oil in Spill Proof Containers
