Three members of the Southern Shores Town Council will meet Tuesday, April 7, at 3:30 p.m., at the Pitts Center for a meeting during which they will take up matters previously slated for the March 24 budget workshop, such as beach nourishment, capital street projects, possible no-left-turn summer weekends, and the town pay study.

The meeting will be limited to 10 persons, in accordance with emergency restrictions imposed by the State during the COVID-19 pandemic. The other Town Council members and the public will be able to participate remotely.

According to Town Clerk Sheila Kane, who spoke with The Beacon today, Mayor Tom Bennett and Mayor Pro Tem Elizabeth Morey will attend the meeting, as will Interim Town Manager Wes Haskett, Finance Director Bonnie Swain, and Ms. Kane herself.

Town Attorney Ben Gallop will be participating electronically, Ms. Kane said. She did not know who the third Town Council member would be to make up a quorum, but counting that person, six of the 10 maximum attendees have already been determined.

Neither the police chief nor the fire chief will be giving monthly reports, so there will be room at the Pitts Center for four citizens to attend on what Ms. Kane said would be a “first-come, first-serve” basis.

See the meeting agenda here:  https://www.southernshores-nc.gov/wp-content/uploads/minutes-agendas-newsletters/Agendas_2020-04-07.pdf

The public will be able to join the meeting electronically by using Zoom software through a computer or cellphone. You also may use your telephone to listen to the audio portion of the meeting, without the benefit of video.

According to a notice that was posted on the Town website today, you may join the meeting through Zoom by typing into your Internet browser the URL: https://zoom.us/j/612186193. The ID for the meeting is 612 186 193.

“If you have not used Zoom before, you are encouraged to download the application from their website at Zoom.us,” the Town notice instructs, “and try it out prior to the meeting.”

There is no cost involved with the software or with attending the meeting.

If you choose to join the meeting by telephone, you may call (253) 215-8782 or (301) 715-8592, and when prompted, enter the meeting ID number, 612 182 193, followed by the pound (#) sign. Long-distance charges will apply, as usual.

You will not be able to access the meeting by telephone until it has actually started, Ms. Kane said. You also will not be able to comment by telephone.

SUBMISSION OF PUBLIC COMMENTS

There will be the usual two public-comment periods during the meeting. You may submit your public comments to Ms. Kane before the meeting, and the Mayor will read them into the record, she said. You may email skane@southernshores-nc.gov or send them by U.S. mail. It would be best to email them by 3 p.m. on the meeting day.

You also may submit your comments via Zoom “chat” during the live public-comment period. As Ms. Kane explained, there will be a message board on the right side of your screen in which you can type in your comments and transmit them. The Mayor will read these comments aloud, as well.

In all cases, Ms. Kane requests that you include your name and address with your comments and limit them to three minutes, when read aloud.

See https://www.southernshores-nc.gov/southern-shores-town-council-meeting-april-7-2020-330-p-m/southern-shores-notice-electronic-participation-2/

All N.C. municipalities and schools are using the Zoom software to conduct electronic meetings during the COVID-19 crisis, Ms. Kane explained.

People who attend the meeting should keep a minimum distance of six feet from others before, during, and after the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be posted on the Town website “as soon as possible” after its conclusion.

The meeting packet will be available on the Town website by close of business tomorrow, according to Ms. Kane.

Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 3/31/20

No sooner had I published my last blog than I received notification from the Dare County Emergency Management that a second person in Dare County has tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the DCEM’s bulletin of today:

“The Dare County Division of Public Health has announced the second positive test result for COVID-19 in Dare County. The first positive test was reported on Wednesday morning, March 25. The two cases are not connected.

“’The individual has been self-isolating since being tested last week and continues to be monitored,’ according to Dr. Sheila Davies, Director of the Dare County Department of Health and Human Services. It is believed the individual acquired the virus through direct contact when out of the area. This is not a case of community spread. The individual’s spouse has also been tested but we have not yet received the test result.

“Similar to the first reported case, this case will not show up as a Dare County case with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Although the test was performed in Dare County, the individual did not provide a Dare County address when being tested. Dare County Department of Health and Human Services will not release further details about the individual to protect [his/her] privacy.

“In accordance with state guidelines for communicable disease reporting, Dare County Department of Health and Human Services staff is conducting an active investigation into this individual’s activity. Anyone who is determined to have had direct contact will be notified by public health staff.

“Dare County Department of Health and Human Services will continue to provide regular updates for our community regarding COVID-19. We appreciate the strong coordination between our agency, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Dare County Emergency Management, Outer Banks Hospital, and local healthcare providers to identify and manage any person who develops signs or symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

“It cannot be stressed enough how important it is for each of us to do our part by following the social distancing guidance and other recommendations from the CDC and NC DHHS for the protection of public health. Residents are encouraged to rely on credible sources for updated information regarding COVID-19. Visit the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus or NCDHHS at http://www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus. For information specific to Dare County, visit www.darenc.com/covid19.

“The Dare County COVID-19 Call Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to help address your questions on COVID-19 and can be reached at 252.475.5008.”

Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 3/31/20

 

 

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What a difference a day makes. From shorts and sandals to sweaters and warm jackets. From radiant sunshine to turbulent skies.

Forecasts show a coastal storm heading our way, arriving in the area tonight and likely peaking tomorrow morning. It is expected to bring heavy rainfall and strong north-northeast winds—on the order of 40 to 50 mph—that will cause rough surf and pose the threat of ocean overwash.

Soon we will be battening the hatches, as well as hunkering down. But we know this drill.

By now you probably have your own COVID-19 news update drill, too, in what people are calling our “new normal” life.

Besides the local media, I recommend The Raleigh News & Observer for a state roundup, and, not surprisingly, The Washington Post and The New York Times for national news. All three are offering free access to their coronavirus stories.

Dare County Emergency Management issues its daily bulletin by 1 p.m.  See https://www.darenc.com/departments/emergency-management/.

The N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services daily updates its COVID-19 case count by 11 a.m. See https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-response-north-carolina.

Executive orders signed by Governor Roy Cooper and other news from the Governor’s Office generally are announced after noon and are readily available on the NCDHHS website.

The Governor’s latest executive order, announced yesterday, is No. 122. It is designed to help schools and local governments access state surplus property that they may need during the coronavirus emergency, such as protective equipment for healthcare workers and computers for schools.

See https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/EO122-State-Surplus-Property.pdf.

As you undoubtedly know, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued a statewide Stay at Home order yesterday that was effective immediately and included the closure of all beaches, except for “fishing and exercise.”

We are fortunate to be on an island and to be able to better control access to our beaches. Their closure because of public irresponsibility would be a great loss.

The Virginia order is in effect through June 30, unless it is rescinded or modified.

Governor Northam, a pediatric neurologist who served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, has been criticized for being slow to act, but a week ago at a press briefing, he made clear that he is basing his decisions on science and available medical/scientific data. After consulting with his coronavirus advisory group, he said he expects the new normal with COVID-19 to last months, not just weeks. That is his realistic assessment.

For updates from Virginia and Governor Northam, see https://www.virginia.gov/coronavirus/.

A friend who lives in Florida recently sent me a poem she had written titled “The Pandemic.” It’s made up of four-line stanzas and rather lengthy. She’s no Maya Angelou, but she is thoughtful and perceptive, as well as compassionate and altruistic. My favorite two lines are as follows:

“While sheltered in our homes we step back and give ourselves reprieve;

“To reflect on where we are as a nation, who we are as a people, and in what we believe.”

I would be delighted to publish poetry written about our current situation by any of you. I am not a poet, but I deeply appreciate the art form and welcome your contributions. Please send them to ssbeaconeditor@gmail.com. I will give you the copyright, of course.

The Beacon will keep you up to date with any breaking news about Southern Shores and with important county and state updates, but in the coming days, I also may try to entertain you with stories that you’re not seeing in other media.

Take care during the storm.

Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 3/31/20

Stay home. Stay healthy. Don’t cheat.

That is basically the common-sense message of today’s Dare County Emergency Management bulletin about COVID-19, Bulletin No. 20.

See https://www.darenc.com/Home/Components/News/News/6037/1483.

That Dare County felt compelled to issue it is a testament to the apparent lack of common sense being exercised.

It is also the message repeated on the Sunday morning talk shows by state governors, emergency physicians, medical reporters, and others commenting on the “stay at home” orders around the country: Don’t be non-compliant, they all urged. Don’t cheat.

“While the weather is beautiful,” the Dare County bulletin states, “and the therapeutic value of getting outside and enjoying the sunlight and fresh air is immeasurable, we ask everyone to respect the order that is in place and limit your travel.

“We cannot stress enough,” it continues, “that maintaining social distancing is one of the most effective tools we have to reduce the spread of COVID-19. For the safety of you, your family and our community, don’t make exceptions to this order of social distancing. Maintain at least six feet of separation from others (non-family members).”

While The Beacon does not wish to scold, we nonetheless have to wonder in which essential activities all of the drivers that we’ve seen traverse the year-round Southern Shores neighborhood are engaging. Is everyone coming and going to the grocery store? Are the trips they’re making absolutely necessary?

Earlier today, OBX Today reported that the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office has established a vehicle checkpoint at the Duck-Corolla line, where Currituck and Dare counties meet. Sheriff’s deputies may be asking similar questions.

The Town of Nags Head has updated its message to the public, saying it is “essential that the public voluntarily comply with the [stay at home] proclamations for them to be effective in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Self-regulation and encouraging others, including friends, family and neighbors, is the most effective way to implement the proclamations.”

Nags Head also makes a request that would seem to be imperative for Southern Shores and other Dare beach towns to make. The Town asks that people not call 911 “if you see someone you perceive to be non-compliant with the proclamations. . . . Concentrate on what you can do for your family and yourself to remain healthy and safe.”

Non-compliance is for law enforcement officers to evaluate and take action to thwart when they encounter it during their patrols. You should call 911 only when you need assistance of an emergent nature.

In today’s bulletin, Dare County reports 1,040 cases of COVID-19 in 69 of 100 N.C. counties, and four deaths associated with the viral infection. These are numbers from the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

The Beacon does not put much stock in case counts because testing has been inadequate in North Carolina, as well as everywhere else in the county. Many people who may currently be—or once were—infected with COVID-19 may have been advised to stay home and forgo testing or they may have been denied testing. Many others are waiting for long-delayed test results.

While writing this post, we received pop-up news notices of two more COVID-19-associated deaths in the state: one in Buncombe County and the other in Mecklenburg County.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN this morning that the novel coronavirus could infect millions of people in the United States and kill between 100,000 and 200,000.

He also told a Washington Post reporter in an interview last week: “I’m actually pleading with the younger generation that, although you feel you are invulnerable—which is not true; nobody’s invulnerable—the fight is not only trying to protect yourself. You have a societal, in some respects, moral responsibility to protect yourself so that you don’t inadvertently and unintentionally infect those who are more vulnerable.”

We are still in the early days of the pandemic in the United States. We don’t know yet how well mitigation of the COVID-19 spread will work. Bottom line: Enjoy the beautiful weather, but don’t cheat.

Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 3/29/20

Dare County updated its Stay Home-Stay Healthy declaration today to align it with Governor Roy Cooper’s statewide Stay at Home order and guidelines, clarifying that where there may be differences between the two directives, the State order controls.

Both orders are being imposed to thwart the spread in North Carolina of COVID-19, the severe respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, by preventing close contact between people.

The County’s declaration becomes effective today at 5 p.m. The Governor’s directive, which was announced as Executive Order No. 121, takes effect Monday at 5 p.m.

If either government body had imposed a “shelter in place” order, which is more restrictive than a stay at home order, residents would be unable to leave their homes, except in emergency situations.

We Outer Bankers are used to sheltering in place during hurricanes: You stock up on supplies, hunker down in a safe place, and stay put until the emergency has passed.

See the CDC on sheltering in place at: https://emergency.cdc.gov/shelterinplace.asp.

In a bulletin announcing the update today, Dare County Emergency Management also stated that there is still only one “positive COVID-19 test result” in the County, which was reported March 25. The County Dept. of Health and Human Services will continue to report any positive cases when they become known.

The Beacon congratulates Dare County and its manager/attorney, Bobby Outten, on taking such swift action to head off any inconsistencies between the two directives that may give rise to confusion. Last night The Beacon pondered doing a side-by-side comparison of the two orders in order to identify any inconsistencies and is grateful to be spared the task.

(It is usually safe to assume that state action takes precedence, but it is best to have that assumption confirmed in writing.)

The County’s amendment also makes clear that a violation of any of the restrictions and prohibitions in either the County’s or the State’s order is punishable as a Class 2 misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The State’s order leaves enforcement up to local authorities.

See the Dare County Emergency Management’s updated Bulletin #19 at https://www.darenc.com/Home/Components/News/News/6033/1483.

You will find the text of the amended Stay Home-Stay Healthy declaration here: https://www.darenc.com/Home/ShowDocument?id=6276.

The Beacon re-publishes below relevant links that we published yesterday after the Governor’s announcement:

The text of Executive Order No. 121: https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/EO121-Stay-at-Home-Order-3.pdf

Frequently asked questions about the executive order: https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/200327_FAQ-SAH-Order_FINAL.pdf

If you do not think your business is included in the essential services list in the executive order, and you believe it should be, you may apply online with the N.C. Dept. of Revenue for it to be designated essential.

Go to https://www.ncdor.gov/home/ncdor-actions-covid-19/covid-19-essential-businesses.

Until your exemption is reviewed, you may operate your business as long as you can accommodate physical distancing in your workplace.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

APRIL 7, SOUTHERN SHORES: The Town of Southern Shores has announced through Dare County Emergency Management bulletins that it is “currently evaluating services that would allow electronic viewing [of] and participation” in its next Town Council meeting, which is scheduled for April 7.

THE TOWN OF DUCK has announced that its April 1 Town Council meeting will be live-streamed and that it will provide instructions for public comment and viewing on its website before the meeting.

THE DARE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS’ April 1 meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. via telephone. The public may access the meeting by calling (301) 715-8592, (669) 900-6833, (346) 248-7799, or (929) 436-2866 and then entering the meeting ID of (296) 841-306. The public will be able to comment.

The Beacon will find out Monday how much in advance you may call into the meeting.  

RECYCLING MEETING: The Beacon reported yesterday on the postponement of a State, County, and multi-town recycling meeting that had been scheduled for Monday. The Beacon should have stated that organizers of the meeting, originally scheduled to be held in Manteo, had hoped to hold it Monday by electronic means, but arrangements have not been made.

According to Sandy Skolochenko, a Community Development Specialist with the N.C. Dept. of Environmental Quality, organizer/Nags Head Town Manager Cliff Ogburn is exploring a “Webinar-based meeting” for some time in April.

The Beacon has reported extensively on the recycling crisis on the Outer Banks. NC DEQ has granted Bay Disposal & Recycling a temporary exemption that enables the Powells Point-based collector to haul loads of recyclables to an incinerator in Portsmouth. This exemption expires April 15.

***

REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY . . . If you have a concern during this uncertain and trying time that you have not seen addressed by town, county, or state officials and resources, please email The Beacon at ssbeaconeditor@gmail.com, and we will try to be of assistance.

Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 3/28/20   

Governor Roy Cooper has ordered all people in the state of North Carolina to stay at home for 30 days—until April 29—starting Monday at 5 p.m., in order to prevent the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

Like Dare County’s “Stay Home-Stay Healthy” declaration issued earlier today, the Governor’s Executive Order No. 121 provides for people to leave home and travel only for essential activities; for essential businesses to continue to operate; for mass gatherings to be limited to 10 people; and for the strict observation of physical (social) distancing by people when they are using shared or outdoor spaces away from their residences.

Because they are time-sensitive, funerals are not subject to the 10-person restriction on mass gatherings. Fifty people may attend a funeral, and they should practice physical distancing.

The Beacon prefers the term, physical distancing, which public-health scientists endorse, to social distancing. Both refer to a person not standing any closer than six feet to another person.

“To continue our aggressive battle against COVID-19, I have signed a Stay at Home Order for the entire state of North Carolina,” the Governor said in a press release.

“Though it is difficult we must do this to slow the disease spread. We need our medical system to be able to care for the friends and family we know will become seriously ill from the virus.”

The Governor said three North Carolinians have died as a result of COVID-19, and the state currently has 763 confirmed COVID-19 cases in 60 of its 100 counties. North Carolina is considered to have widespread community transmission of the virus, meaning many people who test positive for it cannot trace the source of their infection.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today a total of 85,356 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 1,246 deaths.

For the text of Executive Order No. 121, see: https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/EO121-Stay-at-Home-Order-3.pdf.

For a list of frequently asked questions about the executive order, see: https://files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/200327_FAQ-SAH-Order_FINAL.pdf.

If you do not think your business is included in the essential services list in the executive order, and you believe it should be, you may apply online with the N.C. Dept. of Revenue for it to be designated essential. Go to https://www.ncdor.gov/home/ncdor-actions-covid-19/covid-19-essential-businesses.

Until your exemption is reviewed, you may operate your business as long as you can accommodate physical distancing in your workplace.

Executive Order No. 121 is valid for 30 days, but it can be revised or extended.

Governor Cooper is seeking voluntary cooperation from all state residents and businesses. If this cooperation is not achieved, state and local law enforcement officers have the authority to enforce the order.

Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 3/27/20

Dare County issued a “Stay Home-Stay Healthy” directive today to all residents and all other people authorized to be in Dare County that will go into effect tomorrow at 5 p.m. Its primary intent is to limit people’s movements outside of their homes, to only essential tasks and travel, but it also limits gatherings to no more than 10 people and broadly defines businesses and service providers considered to be essential.

This action is being taken as a result of State health officials having shifted this week into a mitigation strategy to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. (See The Beacon, 3/27/20.)

By curtailing people’s movements, the County seeks to minimize opportunities for people to be exposed to the new coronavirus, as well as to transmit it.

For details about what you can do and should not do, see the Dare County Emergency Management information bulletin at https://www.darenc.com/home/showdocument?id=6272.

According to the ‘Stay Home-Stay Healthy’ declaration, people who are authorized to be in Dare County may:

*Go to the grocery store, a convenience store, or a gas station

*Go to a pharmacy to pick up medications and healthcare necessities

*Visit a health care facility for medical services (Please call your healthcare provider first to see if services can be provided virtually prior to visiting.)

*Go to a restaurant for take-out or drive-thru service (delivery is allowed)

*Care for or support a friend, family member, or pet

*Go outside to take a walk, go to the beach, go for a bike ride, hike, and job, provided physical distancing of six feet is maintained

*Help others get necessary supplies

*Receive deliveries

You may not:

*Go outside of your home if you are sick

*Travel, except for essential travel and activities

*Go to work, unless you are providing essential services

*Gather in groups of more than 10 people

*Be closer than six feet from others when you are out in public

*Visit friends and family if you have no specific, urgent need to do so

*Visit loved ones in a hospital, nursing home, a skilled nursing facility, or other residential care facility, except for limited exceptions as provided by the specific facility

In general, activities considered essential are those done:

*To further health and safety

*To get necessary supplies and services

*To engage in outdoor activities

*To work for essential businesses/operations

*To take care of others in need

The entry restrictions for non-resident property owners and visitors remain in place, and there are no restrictions on leaving Dare County.

People who do not live in Dare County may be authorized to be here if they are engaging in “essential travel,” such as traveling to care for elders, minors, dependents, persons with disabilities, or other “vulnerable persons” or traveling for the purpose of providing essential activities, such as essential government functions or essential businesses and operations.

The declaration defines in detail those businesses that are considered essential. Among them are businesses that provide “essential services necessary to maintain essential operations of residences or other essential businesses.”

People who are property managers, contractors, subcontractors, landscapers, plumbers, electricians, and exterminators, among others, are considered to be providing essential services. So are legal, engineering, architectural, or accounting professionals.

It also elaborates upon essential healthcare operations, essential government functions, essential critical infrastructure, essential retail, and more.

We encourage you to read the full text of the declaration here: https://www.darenc.com/home/showdocument?id=6274. The order will remain in effect unless modified, extended, or rescinded.

In yesterday’s blog, The Beacon brought up the enforcement of, and possible criminal penalties for violating, similar “stay-at-home” orders imposed in other N.C. counties and towns. In Dare County, law enforcement agencies are being asked to enforce the order first through “education, dialogue, and seeking voluntary cooperation.”

If local law enforcement officers cannot achieve voluntary cooperation, they may enforce the order through citations or misdemeanor charges. A violation of any of the restrictions and prohibitions imposed under today’s emergency declaration is punishable as a Class 2 misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The Beacon is not surprised by this order, in light of the changes it discussed in yesterday’s post about COVID-19 prevention strategy and criteria for determining whom to test for the virus. In fact, we would be surprised if Governor Roy Cooper does not take statewide action later today or over the weekend.

IN OTHER NEWS

STATE, COUNTY, MULTI-TOWN RECYCLING MEETING POSTPONED:  A meeting to be held electronically on Monday, March 30, among N.C. environmental officials, Dare County and town officials, and some industry representatives, to discuss local recycling options in light of TFC’s refusal to accept Outer Banks recycling at its Chesapeake facility has been postponed.

According to Sandy Skolochenko, a Community Development Specialist with the N.C. Dept. of Environmental Quality, Nags Head Town Manager Cliff Ogburn, who is organizing the meeting, is exploring a “Webinar-based meeting” for some time in April.

The NC DEQ has granted Bay Disposal & Recycling a temporary exemption that enables the Powells Point-based collector to haul loads of recyclables to an incinerator in Portsmouth. This exemption expires April 15.

DON’T FORGET: The bulk-trash collection scheduled for April 3 has been postponed.

Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 3/27/20