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One group that you may not think would be suffering right now is Western North Carolina Farmers. While there is still such a high demand from consumers, some farmers are unable to sell the glut of food that they have. To help explain how that could be happening, AFM Newshour spoke to Molly Nicholie, Program Manager of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project or ASAP.
As today, April 16, North Carolina counts 5,465 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services page. That’s an increase of 342 cases since the April 15 numbers were released.
NCDHHS tallies 131 deaths statewide, up 14 deaths since April 15. Buncombe County now reports 43 lab-confirmed positive cases, though the state count remains at 41. Three people have died in the county from COVID-19.
Much of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina is closed, according to a press release from the National Park Service. While the Asheville commuter zone remains open, the parkway is mostly closed from its southern end near Cherokee at milepost 469 through the Blowing Rock area at milepost 292.
Gov. Roy Cooper said in an April 15 press conference that reopening the economy will be less like flipping a “light switch” and more like using a “dimmer switch” to adjust restrictions incrementally. Cooper identified three areas that will need to see major improvement before he considers easing restrictions which are testing, tracing and trends.
https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/04/16/coronavirus-what-know-april-16/5143464002/
Asheville’s own Luke Combs has released a new song titled “Six Feet Apart” on YouTube yesterday. As of today, the song is ranked No. 11 on YouTube’s trending list. If you “ain’t got much else goin’ on,” give it a listen.
He opens with a spring memory that is familiar to Western North Carolinians — “When the dogwoods start to bloom, when the crickets hum their tune, is usually about the time that I feel most alive,” he sings.
“But the news has all been bad and the world just seems so sad,” he continues, “and I ain’t had much else goin’ on, so I sat down to write this song. It’s a mystery, I suppose, just how long this thing goes. There’ll be crowds and there’ll be shows, there will be light after dark someday when we aren’t six feet apart.”
On April 9, more than 300 educators, administrators, parents, and students in North Carolina submitted a letter to State Superintendent Mark Johnson urging him to direct the NC Department of Public Instruction to take action that would protect the privacy and safety of transgender students. As this topic has been advocated for years, the problem has become especially apparent because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The online learning platforms, chat rooms, power points, discussion forums, and virtual testing sites that rely on generated student usernames that are based on their legal name, visible to other students and faculty. If the legal name is different than the name the student uses on a daily basis, which is the case for many transgender students, the system may reveal their transgender identity without their consent. This is a violation of the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as well as state and district privacy policies. That privacy violation also threatens the safety of students, as transgender students are significantly more likely to experience bullying and harassment both online and when they go back to school.
Click here to read more
COVID-19 in prisons:
Emancipate NC, a nonprofit organization that empowers and engages communities to solve North Carolina’s criminal justice problems has been attempting to shed light on the concern about children in detention being cut off from in-person visits with their families which could, in turn, exacerbate their mental health issues. According to a 2016 state report, over 99 percent of kids in the juvenile justice system have at least one mental health diagnosis, and 70 percent have more than one diagnosis. As of last week, no one in the juvenile facilities in NC had tested positive for COVID-19 and juvenile justice officials are monitoring the situation closely. They’ve already implemented several operational changes to help preempt and reduce opportunities for the virus to spread. This includes suspending visitation and volunteer activities at juvenile facilities. But also reducing the influx of new cases into the system. Last week, the National Juvenile Defender Center release a letter reduce the number of kids coming into the system, called on juvenile justice decision-makers to release as many kids as possible, limit in-person contact between youths and probation and parole staff and cancel fines and fees imposed on families during the pandemic.
State prisons begin moving inmates to community supervision
https://mountainx.com/news/state-prisons-begin-moving-inmates-to-community-supervision/
At an April 9 press conference, Governor Roy Cooper r announced a new executive order, that went into effect at 5 p.m. Monday, April 13, and will be in effect until Wednesday, May 13 to “help prevent stores from becoming flashpoints for virus transmission.”
The measure limits shoppers in any retail location to 20% of the store’s permitted fire capacity or five customers per 1,000 square feet. High-volume locations such as checkouts and deli counters must mark six-foot spaces to ensure social distancing in customer lines, and all stores must conduct “frequent and routine environmental cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas.”
Also included in the order are additional rules for nursing homes: All communal and group activities must be canceled, and all employees must wear face masks while working. In addition, the order eases certain regulations on businesses filing unemployment claims to speed up the distribution of state benefits.
As those of us in Buncombe County and the state of North Carolina are forced to stay at home, the stress and anxiety of the coronavirus pandemic have created a perfect storm for domestic violence victims.
April Burgess-Johnson Executive Director of Helpmate and Geoff Sidoli, Executive Director of Mountain Child Advocacy Center spoke with News Team correspondent KP Whaley about the significant increase in requests for services we are seeing in WNC.
Listen to the full interview below
Masks are now being recommended to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but finding masks can be a challenge. A local group of activists saw the need and responded immediately by forming the group Masks Of Love, a DIY sewing group creating homemade masks for the community. AFM News correspondent KP Whaley talked to one of their organizers about their efforts.
According to the NCDHHS, as of 11 am on April 8, North Carolina tallies 3,426 lab-tested cases of COVID-19 – an increase of 205 from the previous day. 386 people with lab-tested COVID-19 are hospitalized statewide – an increase of 32 hospitalizations since April 6. There have 53 deaths across North Carolina – up 7 deaths since the April 6 report. (Deaths added to the count did not necessarily occur in the 23-hour period between reports.)
Buncombe County had a total of 33 confirmed cases of COV-19 as of April 6, according to the county’s website. There has been one death in the county due to the illness.
In a public announcement on April 8, Buncombe County officials extended its “Stay at Home” order – that was scheduled to end on April 9 – indefinitely and also gave new details that will loosen some rules, including those restricting real estate sales, landscaping and auto dealers.
The new order will begin at 6 am on April 9 and will remain in effect until “it is repealed, replaced or rescinded.”
To review some of the highlights click here. To review the new order in full, click here.
As the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 increases statewide, North Carolina’s emergency management director Mike Sprayberry has expressed the need for more medical volunteers.
According to a letter from NCDHHS Secretary, Dr. Mandy Cohen, they’re looking for medical volunteers with all requisite licenses who are willing to be deployed to the affected areas or facilities to provide patient care.
How to Volunteer:
Create a personal profile through the online portal at https://terms.ncem.org/TRS/
To cover workers comp and a small stipend, volunteers will be payed $15/hour.
Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer? Please click this link to connect with some health and safety guidelines when it comes to volunteering.
For more information on how you can help, click here.
The City government has signed off on an initiative spearheaded by Homeward Bound and several other community partners, that proposes using Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville as a shelter for about 50 people living in homelessness amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Officials greenlit the project on April 6 and by late afternoon on April 8, intake had already begun at the emergency shelter as men and women filed into the facility.
Before entering the facility, people were medically screened by volunteers with the Appalachian Mountain Community Health Center. Residents should expect daily check-ins on symptoms and can use outdoor spaces on the property, including a balcony.
https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/04/08/coronavirus-nc-harrahs-cherokee-civic-center-house-homeless-asheville/2973426001/
On April 8, Governor Roy Cooper announced a texting service for parents who need food assistance for their children. Sites have been set up across the state for families with children ages 18 and younger, including preschool children, who rely on free and reduced-price meals at school.
To locate nearby free meal sites text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877.
After entering your address, you will receive a text with the location and serving times for nearby pick-up and drive-thru free meal sites while schools are closed.
You can also call 2-1-1 to speak with an operator who will help you locate meal sites in your community. The 2-1-1 service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Services are provided in English, Spanish and many other languages.
For more information and additional guidance on regulations and recommendations related to the health threat from COVID-19, please visit the NCDHHS website at www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus [ncdhhs.gov] and CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus [cdc.gov].
At this point, the Blue Ridge Parkway and walking trails in the City parks remain open. Trailheads and parking areas will have signs posted warning of the closures.
If using trails, please practice social distancing, including maintaining a distance of 6 feet between one another, washing your hands, not engaging with individuals outside of your home and reducing your exposure as much as possible! And for your safety, limit high-risk activities – Law enforcement and search and rescue operations may be limited due to COVID-19!
Visit the NC Forest Service website for a complete list of closures that will be updated continually.