Orange County Health Department

COVID-19 Updates: November 25, 2020

Orange County Press Release

Link to the media release: https://www.orangecountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13852/North-Carolina-Tightens-Existing-Mask-Requirements-and-Enforcement
 
MEDIA RELEASE
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            
Contact: Kristin Prelipp, Communications Manager and Public Information Officer
kprelipp@orangecountync.gov or 919-245-2462
LINK TO MEDIA RELEASE

North Carolina Tightens Existing Mask Requirements and Enforcement


HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. November 24, 2020 ? Gov. Roy Cooper has issued additional COVID-19 safety measures to tighten mask requirements and enforcement as cases continue to rise rapidly in North Carolina and across the country. Executive Order No. 180 goes into effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, and runs through Dec. 11. 

"I have a stark warning for North Carolinians today: We are in danger," Cooper said. "This is a pivotal moment in our fight against the coronavirus. Our actions now will determine the fate of many."

Holiday guidance
Everyone is advised to celebrate Thanksgiving only with the people they live with.
If you gather for the holidays: Keep it small, keep it outdoors, and wear a mask at all times. Remember your 3Ws: Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Wait 6 feet from others. In addition, stay home away from others if sick.

Download SlowCOVIDNC at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/slowcovidnc to protect you and your loved ones. See additional holiday guidance on the CDC, state and Orange County websites.

See a video from the Orange County Health Department on how to gather safely. It is also available in Spanish.

Tighter restrictions
In addition to extending Phase 3 capacity limits and safety requirements, the order tightens the existing statewide mask requirement ? making it clear that everyone needs to wear a mask whenever they are with someone who is not from the same household. The order also makes the face covering requirements enforceable now by law enforcement against individuals. The order adds the mask requirement to several additional settings, including:

  • Any public indoor space even when maintaining 6 feet of distance.
  • Dining tables except when actively drinking or eating.
  • Gyms even when exercising.
  • All schools public and private.
  • All public or private transportation when traveling with people outside of the household. 
The order also requires large retail businesses with more than 15,000 square feet to have an employee stationed near entrances to ensure mask wearing and occupancy limits for patrons who enter. 

County Alert System
The state has updated its COVID-19 County Alert System map due to the rapid rise in cases and hospitalization over the past week. The map was intended to be updated every four weeks.

Since the system was introduced last week, 10 more counties have moved into the red category, indicating critical community spread. There are now 20 red counties and 42 orange counties, with orange indicating substantial community spread. Orange County remains in the yellow zone of significant community spread. Read the update to see where each county stands; how the system was designed; and recommended actions for individuals, businesses, community organizations and public officials in each zone.

“The coming weeks will be a true test of our resolve to do what it takes to keep people from getting sick, to save lives, and to make sure that if you need hospital care ? whether it’s for a heart attack or a car accident or COVID-19 ? you can get it,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Read Executive Order 180.
Read a Frequently Asked Questions document about the Order. 
Read the slides from the governor’s briefing.
 
Reliable Information

For the latest information and guidance relating to Orange County’s COVID-19 response:
  • Visit www.orangecountync.gov/coronavirus.
  • Receive text updates on the crisis by texting 888-777 with OCNCHEALTH for English speakers and OCNCSALUD for Spanish speakers.
  • Sign up for weekly e-newsletter about the COVID-19 response via the county website.
  • Follow the Orange County Health Department on Facebook and Twitter.  
  • The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services updates its COVID-19 case count dashboard daily at 12 p.m.
Spread Kindness Not Illness




How to Gather Safely in a Pandemic

How to Gather Safely in a Pandemic

This video is about how to gather in a safer way during the pandemic. Many cases of COVID-19 have been linked to small, private gatherings. This short video illustrates the best way to gather with friends and family. Gathering with household members is the safest.
 
When gathering with other households:

  • Keep it small.
  • Keep it outdoors.
  • Wear a mask at all times.
  • Consider a test ahead of the gathering.

 
More information about how to get a test at: http://www.orangecountync.gov/2451/Testing

Link to video in English: https://youtu.be/KpbxXvZcKYQ
Link to video in Spanish: https://youtu.be/MSz1sq3u_0g




COVID-19 County Alert System

COVID-19 Alert System

North Carolina is experiencing high levels of community transmission of COVID-19 statewide, but the virus is impacting some counties particularly hard. The State has established a COVID-19 County Alert System to give individuals, businesses, community organizations, and public officials another tool to understand how their county is faring and to make decisions about actions to slow the spread of the virus. The COVID-19 County Alert System uses metrics informed by the White House Coronavirus Task Force and North Carolina’s key metrics to categorize counties into three tiers:

  1. Yellow: Significant Community Spread
  2. Orange: Substantial Community Spread
  3. Red: Critical Community Spread

Because no one metric provides a complete picture, the COVID-19 County Alert System uses a combination of three metrics: case rate, the percent of tests that are positive, and hospital impact within the county.

There are critical actions we can all take to slow the spread of COVID-19, regardless of whether your county is currently in the yellow, orange or red tier. Individuals, businesses, community organizations, and public officials all have a responsibility to take these recommended actions, in addition to following the requirements in existing Executive Orders and NCDHHS guidance. Red and orange counties need to do even more to slow the spread of COVID-19 in their communities; it is strongly recommended these counties go further and build upon current requirements as outlined in the recommendations in the report. 

The 
COVID-19 County Alert System will be updated every other week. 




COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 Testing

TESTING

The Orange County Health Department will be hosting various free COVID-19 testing events during the week of November 23rd, 2020
For the most up-to-date information on testing please visit: orangecountync.gov/testing

Weekday Testing

Monday through Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm at Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough. There will be NO TESTING on Thanksgiving 11/26/2020.

300 West Tryon St., Hillsborough

Pre-registration is encouraged and may be completed at https://unityphm.com/campaigns/starmed.
Please choose Orange County as preferred testing location.

Flyer

  • English

Flyer

  • Spanish

Weekday Testing

Monday through Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm at the R7 Parking Lot in Chapel Hill. There will be NO TESTING on Thanksgiving 11/26/2020 and 11/27/2020.

Pre-registration is encouraged and may be completed at https://lhi.care/covidtesting.

Flyer

  • English

Flyer

  • Spanish 
****Other events happening this week****

Saturday November 28th from 12:00pm- 4:00pm at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill

940 Carmichael St. Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Pre-registration is encouraged and can be completed at https://unityphm.com/campaigns/starmed.

Please choose Orange County as preferred testing location.

Flyer
  • English
Flyer
  • Spanish 
 For the most up-to-date information on testing please visit: orangecountync.gov/testing




The Public Health Crises of Racism and COVID-19

The Public Health Crises of Racism and COVID-19

The novel coronavirus has forced the US to acknowledge and reckon with not only weaknesses in public health infrastructure but long-standing contributors to health disparities. COVID-19 has taken a disproportionately devastating toll on Black communities and other communities of color. 
 
Why is that? The difference is not biological. It is in human-created structures that harm the health of Black Americans.
 
The Fall 2020 issue of Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine digs deep into these public health crises in two special sections: one focused on racism, and the other on efforts to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to heel. In both, you’ll hear from Bloomberg School researchers as well as people directly affected by these crises.

Read more of the Fall 2020 issue here




North Carolina COVID-19 Cases


The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 346,506 COVID-19 cases, 5,138 deaths, and 1,811 hospitalizations, as of November 25, 2020. For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every day at noon), please visit the NCDHHS website. 

Orange County Health Department
 also has a COVID-19 dashboard webpage, with information on COVID-19 data in the county. The dashboard will be updated every Tuesday and Thursday.

There are currently 3,765 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Orange County, and 61 deaths.




COVID-19 Community Resources

For more information on COVID-19 community resources in the county, please visit our webpage. Resources on specific topic areas, such as food access, education, housing, and others, are all accessible on our website, or at the links below.
Stay at Home
Community Resources
Multilingual Resources
Face Coverings
Social Distancing
COVID-19 FAQ
Testing
Symptoms
Myths and Facts
How to Help
Long Term Facilities
Equity
Places of Worship
Pets
OCHD Spanish Webpage




Contact Information


For general questions (not urgent) about 2019 Novel Coronavirus, contact NCDHHS at: ncresponse@dhhs.nc.gov or 1-866-462-3821 to address general questions about coronavirus from the public.

If you are an individual or a medical practice with questions about COVID-19, call the Orange County Health Department at (919) 245-6111. During business hours (8:30a.m. to 5 p.m.) 

Contact Kristin Prelipp, the Orange County Health Department’s Public Information Officer at: kprelipp@orangecountync.gov or 919-245-2462

Orange County Health Department:
Web: www.orangecountync.gov/coronavirus
Phone: 919-245-2400
Email: covid19@orangecountync.gov
Facebook: Orange County Health Department
Instagram: OrangeHealthNC
Twitter: Orange Health NC
Youtube: OCHDNC

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Copyright 2020 Orange County (N.C.) Government. All Rights Reserved.
300 W Tryon St, Hillsborough, NC 27278

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