Emergency Preparedness and Response:
March 3, 2021 |
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Frontline Essential Workers Eligible for Vaccine Governor Roy Cooper announced March 2 that frontline essential workers would be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning March 3, one week ahead of the previous schedule.
Who are frontline essential workers?
Group 3 is made up of “frontline essential workers” such as teachers, grocery workers, restaurant workers, postal employees, firefighters, bus drivers and those that perform essential tasks, are public facing or have close contact with other people, and have to leave home to work. |
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Governor Cooper Announces Easing of COVID-19 Restrictions as North Carolina Trends Stabilize
As North Carolina’s numbers continue to show improvement and vaccine distribution increases, Gov. Cooper announced on February 25 that the state would carefully ease some of its COVID-19 restrictions. Executive Order No. 195 took effect February 26th at 5 pm and will expire March 26th at 5 pm.
“The key indicators are moving in the right direction. Our Orange County community has been successfully flattening the curve by wearing face masks, washing their hands and waiting six feet apart,” said Orange County Health Director, Quintana Stewart. “Thank you for your hard work, but please continue to practice the three W’s when you are not with household members.”
“Today’s action is a show of confidence and trust, but we must remain cautious. People are losing their loved ones each day,” said Governor Cooper. “We must keep up our guard. Many of us are weary, but we cannot let the weariness win. Now is the time to put our strength and resilience to work so that we can continue to turn the corner and get through this.”
The Executive Order lifts the Modified Stay at Home Order requiring people to stay at home and businesses to close to the public between 10 pm and 5 am. The number of people who may gather indoors will increase from 10 to 25, while 50 remains the limit for outdoors. The curfew on the sale of alcohol for onsite consumption will be moved from 9 pm to 11 pm. Some businesses, including bars and amusement parks, will now be open for patrons indoors with new occupancy restrictions. Many businesses, venues and arenas will have increased occupancy both indoors and outdoors.
Executive Order No. 195 has two general categories of occupancy restrictions: 30% capacity and 50% capacity. Because indoor spaces have a higher risk of spread for COVID-19, indoor facilities in the 30%-occupancy category may not exceed two hundred fifty (250) people per indoor room or indoor space.
30% Capacity Limit (may not exceed 250-persons in indoor spaces) - Bars
- Meeting, Reception, and Conference Spaces
- Lounges (including tobacco) and Night Clubs
- Indoor areas of Amusement Parks
- Movie Theatres
- Entertainment facilities (e.g., bingo parlors, gaming establishments)
- Sports Arenas and Fields
- Venues
Indoor event venues with more than 5,000 seats are exempt from the 250-person limit if they follow additional safety measures. They can open at 15% capacity.
50% Capacity Limit - Restaurants
- Breweries, Wineries, Distilleries
- Fitness and Physical Activity Facilities (e.g., gyms, bowling alleys, rock climbing facilities)
- Pools
- Museums and Aquariums
- Retailers
- Outdoor areas of Amusement Parks
- Salons, Personal Care, Tattoo Parlors
Safety protocols such as masks, social distancing and frequent handwashing will continue to be important as people adjust to the new order, health officials said.
Related Links |
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Orange County Health Department Launches Health Equity Website
In 2017, a group of Orange County Health Department (OCHD) staff members began a health equity journey to ensure that all members of the community receive health services and support based on their needs and not their race. The health department has since made many strides towards becoming more equitable. In an effort to invite the Orange County community to grow together in this work, as well as to stay accountable to the community, the OCHD has launched a health equity webpage.
On June 16, 2020 the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved a declaration of structural racism as a public health crisis in Orange County and committed to working to dismantle structural racism in order to improve health outcomes for the whole community. The OCHD acknowledges that public health is a system that was and continues to be structurally and foundationally built on racist policies, practices, and procedures. Due to this history, OCHD must actively work to gain the public’s trust and to change the department to become a more equitable system. OCHD also acknowledges that our county's marginalized populations face barriers across systems due to racial inequities in housing, banking, education, employment, etc. all of which contribute to poor health outcomes.
The equity webpage contains resources for those who are engaged or would like to become engaged in equity work, as well as self-care resources, examples other organizations who are doing equity work, and also celebrates some of the strides that the health department has made. The site hopes to engage the community in a conversation about equity and to provide a space for feedback in order to be accountable. The website will be updated regularly, and the community is invited to visit the page often for more information and resources.
Related Links OCHD Efforts: https://www.orangecountync.gov/2471/OCHD-Efforts |
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FREE STD Express Testing
We provide free, confidential counseling and testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) at both clinic locations (Hillsborough and Chapel Hill).
Services
Services include a physical examination, appropriate labs, treatment and counseling for:
Schedule an Appointment
STD testing is by appointment with same day or next day availability. Call us at 919-245-2400 for further information or to schedule an appointment. |
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No Large Crowds on Franklin Street March 6A celebration on Franklin Street will not be allowed if the UNC Men’s Basketball team beats Duke March 6.
“Governor Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 crowd limits prohibit gatherings of more than 50 people outdoors due to the risk of spreading the coronavirus,” said Emergency Management Coordinator Kelly Drayton. “In fact, the Governor’s decision to stick to 50 people outdoors while loosening other restrictions should be a clear message about its importance. We must adhere to these public health guidelines to continue this important battle we’ve all been in for nearly a year.”
The Town and University have worked closely together to prepare for the event. Officials have held numerous meetings to develop pre-game messaging, including safe ways to view the game and to celebrate a Carolina victory. They have additionally collaborated on their operational plans for game-day and post-game activities.
Support Downtown Safely
Events like Carolina basketball against Duke bring a lot of business to our downtown. We encourage everyone to patronize these businesses safely.- Visit our downtown businesses early to avoid crowds;
- Get your gameday gear to wear at home during the game.
- Enjoy the Franklin Street gameday experience with breakfast or lunch downtown (the game begins at 6 p.m.)
- Order takeout or delivery, and eat at home;
- For takeout, use the blue “To-Go” parking spaces along Franklin Street for quick, easy pick up.
- Limit gatherings to state restrictions, and maintain physical distancing and proper masking. Outdoors with good air flow is safer than indoors.
- Set up virtual watch parties to celebrate with friends.
- Use the expanded sidewalks to spread out and get your selfie in front of the Franklin/Columbia streets signs;
- Fill social media with your photos when the game goes final.
Don’t Congregate
Safely gathering downtown means keeping your distance and getting behind the mask. We will have staff present and will be prepared for the unexpected, but we are encouraging people to find different ways to celebrate.
UNC-Chapel Hill will host a virtual watch party for students to celebrate the game physically distance but socially connected. The University is also sharing a number of public health safety messages this week, including supporting and encouraging peer-to-peer messaging.
Roads will not be closed to motor-vehicle traffic in anticipation of a crowd forming. Franklin and Columbia streets are major thoroughfares, especially for ambulances and UNC Hospitals. It is important to keep those avenues open, especially during a public health emergency.
The Orange County Health Department has developed a helpful guide that explains how to safely celebrate: orangecountync.gov/2565/Guidance-for-Private-Social-Gatherings.
UNC Community Standards
At the beginning of the semester, students were required to acknowledge the COVID-19 Community Standards, which apply both on and off campus. As a reminder, if neighbors witness a violation to the community standards or local ordinances, they can utilize the resources listed at townofchapelhill.org/Home/Components/News/News/16866/4048. |
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Do you Have a Kudos to Share?The volunteers and staff who run the vaccination sites have worked in freezing temperatures, during rainy days but they are always pleasant and available to serve our community. We want to be sure people have a way to share their thanks and praise for them. Please use THIS FORM to give a shout out to a volunteer who went above and beyond to keep our community safe and healthy. |
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North Carolina COVID-19 Cases
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 865,554 COVID-19 cases, 11,363 deaths, and 1,303 hospitalizations.
1,607,586 people have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 967,433 people have completed their series.
There are currently 7,767 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 93 deaths in Orange County. 30,106 people have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 20,182 have completed their vaccine series.
For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every day around 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.
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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. |
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