NC bars, restaurants close to the public

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BY ANDREW CARTER
MARCH 17, 2020 08:51 PM

In any other year, the workers at The Raleigh Times restaurant and bar might have been preparing for one of the busiest nights of the year in downtown Raleigh. But now on Tuesday afternoon, St. Patrick’s Day, they were preparing to close to the public at 5 p.m. — governor’s orders to slow the spread of COVID-19, which causes the coronavirus.

One worker hung a sheet of paper on a window next to the front door: a menu so people could place to-go orders. Near 5 o’clock, the time when nearby workers might be strolling in for happy hour, the bartenders called for last call. All over downtown, and beyond, members of the service industry entered into a new reality — one that for many might include uncertain paydays and financial stress.

“The people that I’ve talked to — it’s going to affect them (financially),” Brad Froeschle, a Raleigh Times bartender, said on Tuesday, speaking of his fellow bartenders and servers. “There’s a possibility of there being permanent damage from this situation” ...

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241284781.html

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1. North Carolina's Outer Banks closed off to nonresidents

Posted on March 17, 2020 by ABC News

(OUTER BANKS, N.C.) — Officials in the Outer Banks, along North Carolina’s coastline, instituted an emergency policy Tuesday that barred nonresidents from entering due to coronavirus precautions.Dare County officials emphasized that their order, which went into effect at 2 p.m, isn’t an evacuation order and certain people will be allowed to remain in the region.Emergency workers, essential business owners and Dare County residents will still be allowed to enter, however, they must present a permit, which is available at the Dare County website, to get past a checkpoint.The first priority for access will be given to “essential utilities personnel, government personnel, medical personnel, and damage assessment personnel,” and second priority will be given to permanent residents with a valid state ID and employees at “grocery stores, food distributors, pharmacies, banks, gas stations, property management, building supply and hotels” ...

https://www.connectradio.fm/2020/03/17/north-carolinas-outer-banks-closed-off-to-nonresidents-as-coronavirus-precaution/

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2. Dentists canceling appointments

by: Maggie Newland
Posted: Mar 17, 2020 / 09:29 PM EDT / Updated: Mar 17, 2020 / 11:18 PM EDT

Now she, and many dentists across the country, will go a step further, helping to limit close contact between people in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. They’ll cancel routine cleanings and only see patients in an emergency ..

“We have a hand wash station; we have spray for their feet when they come in” ...

They’ll also check a patient’s temperature and minimize the use of tools that create an aerosol spray that could potentially carry germs.

“We just see one patient at a time, and that’s if it is necessary,” Thore told CBS 17, adding, “Any elective procedure has been canceled for three weeks, which is a financial concern; however, the betterment of the community – it’s time to think about that” ...

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/dentists-canceling-appointments-as-coronavirus-continues-spreading/

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3. Mecklenburg could soon be under 'shelter-in-place' order

BY ALISON KUZNITZ
MARCH 17, 2020 09:40 PM

Mecklenburg could soon be under a shelter-in-place order much like San Francisco and New York as the coronavirus outbreak escalates, Public Health Director Gibbie Harris told county commissioners Tuesday evening.

More than 100 people have been tested in Mecklenburg in the past 24 hours, Harris said, though there are still only 11 confirmed cases in the county despite “community spread” of the coronavirus. None of the patients so far have been “seriously ill,” she said.

“We may be moving in that direction more quickly than we like,” Harris said, referring to the possibility of implementing shelter-in-place restrictions ...

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article241269426.html

[littlemissmartypants]

4. One of my friends has a wine bar/art gallery/ handmade jewelry

Shop she is selling wine, beer and jewelry on line and as of today started deliveries of wine and beer. She was hopeful the last time I checked on her. I hope she's going to be okay. She certainly has a wide following and many who love her dearly. I hope we can keep her afloat. She's a remarkable person who thinks nothing of donating to the public in times of need, like after hurricanes. I feel like that karma will be coming back to her in the best way. I hope so.

[struggle4progress]

5. Buncombe releases some jail inmates

John Boyle and Mackenzie Wicker, Asheville Citizen Times
Published 8:54 p.m. ET March 17, 2020

... "I can’t tell you exactly how many we’ve released, but I can estimate that it’s somewhere probably between 30-50 at this time," Buncombe County Chief District Court Judge Calvin Hill said in a March 17 media briefing. "The people that we’ve been dealing with yesterday and today are people primarily with misdemeanor charges — larcenies, trespasses. Many of them were people who had missed court and were picked up and returned to the jail, so they didn’t pose any real threat to the community" ...

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/03/17/coronavirus-nc-buncombe-reduces-number-inmates-reduce-risk/5073510002/

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6. Piedmont college students scramble to pack

by: Michelle Wolf
Posted: Mar 17, 2020 / 07:40 PM EDT / Updated: Mar 17, 2020 / 07:42 PM EDT

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Students at several colleges and universities were sent scrambling to pack across North Carolina.

The students are packing after the UNC school system announced all students must leave campus to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

FOX8 spoke to several students at NC A&T State University and UNCG. They say they were caught off guard by the notice.

“It’s a shock to me honestly. I don’t know what to do because I live in Ohio” ...

https://myfox8.com/news/coronavirus/piedmont-college-students-scramble-to-pack/

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7. Wake warns 'traditional schooling' might not return for a while

BY T. KEUNG HUI
MARCH 17, 2020 07:15 PM

Both the Wake County school system and Durham Public Schools say students will be taught online while schools are closed, but it will focus on old course material and not new content.

All North Carolina K-12 public schools are closed through at least March 27 as a result of the executive order signed Saturday by Gov. Roy Cooper to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In a message posted Tuesday night, Wake County Superintendent Cathy Moore said the district expects to share additional information next week about how remote learning will be used because school buildings are closed.

“Expectations and options for remote learning are being developed, and will include input from staff, administrators, and teachers,” Moore said in the message. “The purpose of remote learning is to reinforce concepts previously taught, to keep children engaged and to reduce learning loss.”

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241275546.html

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8. More than 1,100 coronavirus tests run in NC

BY BRIAN MURPHY
MARCH 17, 2020 06:09 PM

North Carolina has processed more than 1,100 tests for coronavirus and thousands more samples are being tested, the state’s top health official said Tuesday.

That number is up sharply from the 329 tests the state had done as of Monday.

Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference that the state has confirmed 40 positive tests, a number that she said reflects all testing and not just those performed at the state lab. LabCorp and Quest are processing tests, and UNC Health has developed and deployed its own test ...

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241270931.html

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9. 60 NC DMV offices closing

Author: Carrie Hodgin (WFMY News 2 Digital)
Published: 5:32 PM EDT March 17, 2020
Updated: 5:36 PM EDT March 17, 2020

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles will close 60 offices as part of the coronavirus response.

The DMV said it’s currently contacting customers who have appointments at the offices that are closing. The DMV said it will give new appointments once the offices re-open.

There are some offices that will remain open. The offices will only handle appointment-only visits and will limit the number of customers allowed inside at the same time ...

https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/nc-dmv-offices-closing-due-to-the-coronavirus/83-589a0acd-5e79-4280-8664-92e4d7fd76bd

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10. NC schools help feed hungry students

BY T. KEUNG HUI
MARCH 17, 2020 05:34 PM

Hundreds of thousands of North Carolina students are in danger of going hungry while public schools are closed for the next two weeks to try to slow the spread of coronavirus.

School districts and community groups around the state are ramping up their efforts to provide food to students through the end of March — and potentially much longer — while schools are shut down. With 60% of North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students qualifying for free-and-reduced price lunches, the community need is significant.

“There’s a recognition that these children depend on the school meals and they need to be fed even though the virus is here,” Tamara Baker, communications director for No Kid Hungry NC, said in an interview Tuesday ...

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241235931.html

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11. NC community colleges go online

STEVE WISEMAN
MARCH 17, 2020 05:16 PM

North Carolina’s community colleges are eliminating face-to-face instruction due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

N.C. Community College System president Peter Hans has instructed schools to not hold in-person classes for the rest of this month and to expect this situation to continue for the remainder of the spring semester ...

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241279421.html

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12. Panic buying leaves retailers scrambling

The toilet paper aisle at the Dollar General on Lenoir-Rhyne Boulevard Saturday morning

From staff and wire reports Mar 17, 2020 Updated 9 hrs ago

Grocers big and small are hiring more workers, paying overtime and limiting purchases on certain high demand items as they scramble to restock shelves that have been wiped out by panic shopping in response to the global viral pandemic.

Amazon said Tuesday that it will only accept shipments from suppliers of cleaning equipment, medical supplies and household goods at its warehouses for the next three weeks to fill surging demand. It is hiring 100,000 people across the U.S. to keep up with a crush of orders as more people stay at home and shop online. It will also temporarily raise pay by $2 an hour through the end of April for hourly employees.

Many grocers are also limiting purchases of products like Purell sanitizers, Lysol cleaning spray and canned soup so that there is enough to go around. And companies like Walmart and Wegman’s are curbing store hours for the public in order to give workers time to restock shelves ...

https://www.hickoryrecord.com/news/coronavirus-cases-rise-in-nc-panic-buying-leaves-retailers-scrambling/article_fda94f6a-bbc4-5ef8-a903-91fe18ebba66.html

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13. Buncombe closes parks, libraries

Mackenzie Wicker, Asheville Citizen Times
Published 12:13 p.m. ET March 17, 2020 | Updated 2:23 p.m. ET March 17, 2020

Beginning March 18, Buncombe will close county parks and public libraries indefinitely as it modifies services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move is intended to protect staff and minimize the spread of the disease caused by novel coronavirus, spokeswoman Kassi Day said in a March 17 release.

All nonessential, public-facing functions are closed. Essential operations — including emergency services, Public Health and Health and Human Services mandated services, sheriff’s office, permitting, solid waste, and Transportation — will continue ...

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/03/17/coronavirus-nc-buncombe-county-parks-libraries-closed/5067439002/

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14. Shelby closes offices

By Diane Turbyfill
Shelby Star staff
Posted Mar 17, 2020 at 10:26 AM
Updated Mar 17, 2020 at 12:03 PM

... “The coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation and the city will provide updated information as it becomes available, specifically as it relates to the city’s delivery of services to the public,” officials said in a post on social media.

City offices will be closed to the public until further notice, with the exception of the Shelby Police Department. This includes City Hall, the Utilities Operation Center, Public Works, Housing Department, Planning Department, City Parks, the airport and the Shelby Fire Department ...

https://www.shelbystar.com/news/20200317/shelby-closes-offices-due-to-coronavirus

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15. NC Zoo temporarily closes

by: WGHP
Posted: Mar 17, 2020 / 05:13 AM CDT / Updated: Mar 17, 2020 / 05:13 AM CDT

ASHEBORO, N.C. — The NC Zoo released a statement on Monday announcing the zoo will be temporarily closed beginning Tuesday, March 17 ...

https://www.wnct.com/community/health/coronavirus/nc-zoo-temporarily-closes-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/

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16. North Carolina closes state park campgrounds and visitor centers

BY MARK PRICE
MARCH 17, 2020 07:16 AM

State parks have joined the growing list of services suspending operations due to the coronavirus outbreak in North Carolina.

North Carolina officials announced early Tuesday that the state’s 34 parks, four recreation areas and three natural areas “will suspend public operations” starting Tuesday.

Park facilities, including visitor centers and campgrounds, will close, but trails and restrooms will remain open to the public ...

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article241258416.html

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17. Coronavirus impacts NC daycares

by Rex Hodge
Monday, March 16th 2020

HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Along with North Carolina schools, daycares are also shutting down for two weeks due to coronavirus ...

https://wlos.com/news/local/coronavirus-impacts-nc-daycares

[steventh]

18. Thanks for all that information.

It's good to know so many local government officials and businesses are taking the epidemic seriously.

[cwydro]

19. I'm still going to work in my county in NC.

I’m a part time driver, and we’re taking people to doctor appointments, community college classes, and grocery.

Not sure for how long.