Full Notification

Today, March 30, 2020, McDowell County Commissioners voted to add amendments to the local State of Emergency in McDowell County in hopes to keep citizens safe from exposure to COVID-19. The order is effective immediately until further notice. 

Do not call the 911 Center with questions regarding the county or state mandates. Please call the COVID-19 Call Center for general information at 828-559-9683. For COVID-19 medical screenings, call 828-527-6687. If you have an emergency, dial 911.

The county amendment, signed by Commission Chair David Walker on Monday, states for persons to help reduce possible impacts to emergency medical personnel and first responders by:

• Avoiding all outdoor activities considered to be high risk (rock climbing, rappelling) within McDowell County. Low risk activities such as walking, hiking (in familiar areas), running, golfing or biking are allowed if the requirements of Social Distancing and Mass Gatherings outlined in North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order 121 are followed. 

• Avoiding hiking or backpacking in unfamiliar territory. 

• Not camping overnight in the Pisgah National Forest, the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, or along the shoreline of Lake James. 

• Closing of the Catawba Falls Hiking Trail by the US Forest Service. 

• Suspends rentals of all lodging facilities, including Airbnb rentals, bed and breakfasts rentals, VRBO (vacation rentals by owners), campgrounds, timeshare units, condos, and other rental programs or places where leases or rentals are for less than one (1) month in duration. Hotels and motels are excluded from this directive and exemptions are allowed for work-related stays, emergency facilities and homeless shelters. 

• Persons traveling to McDowell County from outside of North Carolina must self-quarantine upon arrival for 14 days before entering the community.

A PDF of the amendment to the local State of Emergency is attached to this release.

The Stay at Home Executive Order from Governor Roy Cooper’s office went into effect at 5 p.m. today, and will remain in place for 30 days. If you are not sure if your business is considered essential, please contact Steve Bush at the McDowell Chamber of Commerce at (828) 652-4240.

The Executive Order states: 

• All individuals currently in the State of North Carolina are ordered to stay at home, their place of residence, or current place of abode, except as allowed in this Executive Order.

• Leaving the home and travel for Essential Activities is permitted. For purposes of this 

Executive Order, individuals may leave their residence only to perform any of the following Essential Activities:

• Health and safety

• For supplies and services

• For outdoor activity

• For essential types of work

• To take care of others

• To and from a place of worship

• To receive goods and services

• Volunteering

• Traveling between residences
  
  Essential Business and Operations: Certain businesses, essential to the response to COVID-19, to the infrastructure of the State and nation, and to the day-to-day life of North Carolinians, remain open. 
  
  Social Distancing Requirements as used in this Executive Order means: 
  -Maintaining at least six (6) feet distancing from other            individuals; 
  -Washing hands using soap and water for at least twenty (20) seconds as frequently as possible or the use of hand sanitizer; 
  -Regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces; 
  -Facilitating online or remote access by customers if possible.
  
  Mass gatherings are defined as any event or convening that brings together more than ten (10) persons in a single room or single space at the same time, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, or any other confined indoor or outdoor space. This includes parades, fairs and festivals.

A PDF of the Executive Order issued by the Governor is attached to this release.