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3/18/2020 – What You Need to Know: COVID-19 in Buncombe County

3/18/2020 – What You Need to Know: COVID-19 in Buncombe County

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Here are more resources relating to COVID-19 in Asheville and surrounding areas in Buncombe County. Thank you to Courtney Garcia for additional information.

Effective today, March 18, lasting until further notice – Buncombe County stated that all nonessential, public functions are closed at this time. County officials will reevaluate these changes as more information becomes available. You can find more detailed information at buncombecounty.org or email [email protected] for help

Buncombe County is now taking the following measures until further notice:

  • Some nonessential employees will temporarily telecommute and/or be in emergency on-call status.
  • For essential employees unable to work remotely, increasing physical working space between employees and modifying operations are among the options being evaluated.
  • Public access to county facilities that house nonessential functions will be restricted or closed.
  • All public libraries will be closed.
  • All County parks and fields will be closed – Sports fields permits are canceled until March 31.
  • Permitting Office will be closed, but permitting remains available.
  • All Buncombe County Recreation Services programming and special events are canceled or postponed.
  • All picnic shelter rentals are canceled until April 30 and no new bookings will be accepted – Existing rentals can be rescheduled for a date after April 30 or credit or refund issued.

Buncombe County Health and Human Services will begin operating two drive-through COVID-19 testing locations on March 18, from 2 – 6 p.m. Testing will be located at Biltmore Church in Arden and at UNC Asheville off of W.T. Weaver Boulevard. Based on the availability of testing supplies, the sites will continue to operate throughout the week from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm each day.

Health officials ask that community members be patient throughout the screening and testing process. Testing is available to all members of the community, regardless of their income or ability to pay.

This COVID-19 drive-thru testing is specifically available for community members who:

  • Have a fever combined with either a cough or shortness of breath.
  • Have contact with someone with known COVID-19 and are experiencing any of the symptoms: fever, cough or shortness of breath.

Community screening drive-thru testing instructions:

  1. Drive to one of the following locations:
    1. Biltmore Church at 35 Clayton Road, Arden, North Carolina 28704
    2. UNC Asheville Campus, parking lot P28 on University Heights off of W.T. Weaver Boulevard
  2. Follow the signs for the parking lot where testing will be conducted.
  3. Stay in your vehicle. An employee will direct where to go and will give you the necessary paperwork before conducting testing and guide you throughout the entire process.

The latest information on local government preparation and COVID-19 news can be found at  www.buncombecounty.org/bcready.

 

Spectrum announced Friday (March 13) that it will offer free access to broadband and WiFi services to homes with students who do not yet have the services – The services will be available for 60 days for homes with K-12 students and/or college students who do not yet have a Spectrum broadband subscription at any level of service up to 100 Mbps – Call your local provider for help. 

https://www.wkbw.com/news/national/coronavirus/spectrum-to-offer-free-broadband-and-wifi-to-students-without-it?fbclid=IwAR3KLtSC6gzDu_F-fvx5FIxl6TWoWN88SHbZ0OfKtxG4mJJySabeC1YGERY

 

Food Options:

  • Ay Caramba Mexican Grill & Bar – East Asheville – one free meal per kid under the age of 10 – Mon-Fri – This meal will be a taco/enchilada/quesadilla with rice and beans/ French fries. This offer will go until Monday, March 30th. 
  • Biscuit Head – one free biscuit to any school-age child who comes in each day the schools are closed, starting this coming Monday. 
  • Cantina Louie – South Asheville – Monday-Friday (March 16 – 20) – Lunch or dinner – one free kid’s taco (choose from shredded chicken, ground beef or bean) to any school-age child.
  • Celebrity’s Hot Dogs – Brevard – Friday from now until the end of the month – free hot dog lunch for school-age children.
  • ConoSur – Mills River – one free burger and fries to kids while schools are closed – Children have to be present – Takeout only. 
  • Copper River Grill – From Monday, March 16, through Friday, April 30 – complimentary lunch for school-age children – Between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. – any item from our Kid’s Menu. No purchase will be necessary.
  • El Charro Mexican Restaurant – FREE kids meal for any school-age child, daily – voucher sheets at the register starting March 16, 2020 – four options to choose from listed on the bottom of the sheet – offering temporary curbside service to increase the amount of social distance in the community.
  • Fuddruckers of Asheville – Starting Monday, March 16th, and as long as school is out, Fuddruckers Asheville will be extending their Kids Eat Free (17 and under) to ALL DAY, Monday through Friday –  *Purchase of one adult meal required per free kids meal 
  • Inspired Change Yoga w/Best Self Wellness Coaching & Movement – Will be setting up a collection & pick up table outside of Inspired Change Yoga on Wednesday morning (March 18) from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm (or until all the food is gone).
  • Old Europe – downtown – free breakfast pastry and juice to any school aged child from 7 a.m. to noon –  walk-in or call for curbside pickup, said an employee at the store.
  • Pescados Burritos – Brevard –  free tacos for kids in need while schools are closed – The restaurant is asking diners to “pay it forward by and donating what you can spare.
  • Rosetta’s Kitchen & The Buchi Bar – offering their ‘everyone eats’ beans and rice plates, available FREE for those in need – from their take out window. 
  • Sand Hill Kitchen – Call 828-633-6868 to request a free bagged lunch – Lunches include peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, an apple, house-fried chips, and pickles – Pick up in the drive-thru at 491 Sardis Road.
  • Strada Italiano – Through the end of March – every Monday-Friday – free slice of cheese or pepperoni pizza to grade school students during lunch. 
  • Wordly Weiners Wings & Things –  free hotdog and chips to children who need lunch through the school closings.

 

  • Buncombe County Schools is hosting drive-thru pick up stations for breakfast and lunch in all of their districts at
    • Oakley Elementary
    • Johnston Elementary
    • Emma Elementary
    • West Buncombe Elementary
    • Hominy Valley Elementary
    • Pisgah Elementary
    • Owen High School
    • Black Mountain Primary
    • Weaverville Elementary
    • North Windy Ridge Intermediate
    • Estes Elementary
  • Asheville City Schools
    • Monday-Friday – Asheville City Schools will deliver meals from 11:30 am-1:30 pm to …
      • Pisgah View Apartments
      • Hillcrest Apartments
      • Klondyke Apartments
      • Livingston Apartments
    • Isaac Dickson Elementary School will have a drive-thru option should families prefer a grab and go meal (2:00pm-4:00pm)
  • Meals On the Bus mobile food site will operate Monday-Friday, 11:30 am-1:30 pm, stopping in these four neighborhoods:
    • Wellington
    • Rock Hill Road
    • Whispering Pines
    • Pine Valley
  • Food Pantries
    • 12 Baskets Cafe: A PRogram of Asheville Poverty Initiative – Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 am-1:00 pm, until April 1st – Here’s what to expect: Show up with your container/s (Pots, pans, Tupperware, bags, whatever container you have will do) – We will have a menu posted at the door of the Cafe – A companion will take your order and your container inside to fill it with the food you’ve chosen – You won’t be able to stay and eat there – Order as much as you need to get you through and even share with those where you are headed – We will also be providing food to the Rescue Mission and Learning Centers and Battery Park.
    • Beaverdam Community Center – 3rd Wednesday of Every Month, 9:00 am – Hosting a “drive-through” pantry – Pull up in front of the building and a volunteer will run a box or two out to you – All volunteers will have clean and sanitized hands and will be wearing gloves while packing your groceries. 
    • Bounty & Soul – Black Mountain – Hosting drive-thru pick up sites Tuesdays at St. James Episcopal Church Parking Lot from 11 am-1 pm and Fridays at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church Parking Lot from 4-6 pm – No cost – No eligibility requirements – Please stay in your car and do not arrive to the site prior to the scheduled times.
    • Trinity of Fairview – Tuesdays, 9:00 am-12:00 pm – Drive-thru food pantry – Get in line, stay in your car and they will assist you.
    • Western Carolina Rescue Ministries – Public Meals Daily 11:30 am-12:30 pm & 4:30 pm-5:30 pm – Food Boxes through a drive-thru service on Tuesdays, 2:00 pm-3:00 pm Western Carolina Rescue Ministries will be serving public meals to the Asheville community from outside of the building until further notice. Additional Changes are NO Clothing closet, NO public showers, and NO public restroom. 
    • YMCA Mobile Markets – Beginning Monday, March 16th they will hand out pre-packaged bags for pick up – Normal mobile market operating hours – Distributions are FREE and open to ALL! – The YMCA is also offering help to people who are quarantined and need food resources. Call 828-775-7081 for assistance.
    • MANNA Food Banks – Contact your nearest or preferred site for instructions on pick up.

 


More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

Asheville FM 103.3 WSFM-LP Top Play Charts, March 8-14, 2020

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Asheville FM 103.3 WSFM-LP Jazz, World, Experimental, Top 30 Play Charts, March 8-14, 2020

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JAZZ top ten

1. Firecracker Jazz Band – Return To The Twenties (EUPHONIAN)
2. Angel Bat Dawid – The Oracle (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM)
3. Rent Romus’ Lords of Outland – 25 Years Under The Mountain (EDGETONE)
4. Enrico Fazio Critical Mass – Wabi Sabi (LEO)
5. Matthew Shipp – Invisible Light, Live Sao Paulo (HAT HUT)

6. Jaimie Branch – Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM)
7. Vijay Iyer / Craig Taborn – The Transitory Poems (ECM)
8. Pat Metheny – From This Place (NONESUCH)
9. Whit Dickey Tao Quartets – Peace Planet/Box of Light (AUM FIDELITY)
10. Frode Gjerstad / Fred Lonberg-Holm / Matthew Shipp – Season of Sadness (ILUSO)

(compiled by Jazz director Jonathan Price)

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World Music top ten

1 METAL PREYERS _ Metal Preyers (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
2 CEU _ “Coreto” [Single] (Six Degrees)
3 ONIPA _ We No Be Machine (Strut)
4 OOIOO _ Nijimusi (Thrill Jockey)
5 VULA VIEL _ What’s Not Enough About That? (Self-Released)

6 ANTIBALAS _ Fu Chronicles (Daptone)
7 BUSCABULLA _ Regresa [Advance Tracks] (Ribbon)
8 EKITI SOUND _ Abeg No Vex (The Remixes Vol 1) [EP] (Crammed)
9 HAILU MERGIA _ Yene Mircha (Awesome Tapes from Africa)
10 LIDO PIMIENTA _ Miss Colombia [Advance Tracks] (Anti-)

(compiled by World Music director Marissa)

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Experimental Music top ten

1. Mosses – T.V. Sun (ANYWAY)
2. Sun City Girls – Live at the Sky Church – September 3rd, 2004 (TWENTY ONE EIGHTY TWO RECORDING COMPANY)
3. SUSS – High Line (NORTHERN SPY)
4. Jessica Ekomane – Multivocal (IMPORTANT)
5. Negatviland – True False (SEELAND)

6. OOIOO – Nijimusi (THRILL JOCKEY)
7. Peter Zummo – Deep Drive (TIN ANGEL)
8. Emptyset – Blossoms (THRILL JOCKEY)
9. JOYFULTALK – A Separation of Being (CONSTELLATION)
10. Amulets – Between Distant and Remote (BEACON SOUND)

(compiled by Experimental Music director Dogeye)

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Top 30 Play Chart, March 8-14, 2020; WSFM-LP, 103.3 FM, Asheville FM, North Carolina

1.) Mosses _ T.V. Sun (Anyway)
2.) 16) King Krule _ Man Alive! (True Panther Sounds / Matador)
3.) Sunn Trio _ Electric Esoterica (Twenty One Eighty Two Recording Company)
4.) Stephen Malkmus _ Traditional Techniques (Matador)
5.) Sun City Girls _ Live at the Sky Church – September 3rd, 2004 (Twenty One Eighty Two Recording Company)

6.) 5) Soccer Mommy _ color theory (Loma Vista)
7.) 6) Baseball Gregg _ Calendar (s/r)

8.) 10) Firecracker Jazz Band _ Return to the Twenties (Euphonian) … Asheville band … album release show to be rescheduled

9.) 21) Cindy Lee _ What’s Tonight To Eternity (W.25th/Superior Viaduct)

10.) U.S. Girls _ Heavy Light (4AD) … U.S. Girls scheduled to visit May 3 @ The Grey Eagle w/Bonjay

11.) Metal Preyers _ Metal Preyers (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
12.) Slander Tongue _ Slander Tongue (Slovenly Recordings)
13.) 4) Arbor Labor Union _ New Petal Instants (Arrowhawk)
14.) 13) Guided By Voices _ Surrender Your Poppy Field (GBV Inc)
15.) 14) Best Coast _ Always Tomorrow (Concord)

16.) Caribou _ Suddenly (Merge)
17.) 9) 7) 11) Frances Quinlan _ Likewise (Saddle Creek)
18.) 30) 29) Destroyer _ Have We Met (Merge)
19.) Jessica Ekomane _ Multivocal (Important)
20.) Vundabar _ Either Light (Gawk)

21.) 25) Wednesday _ I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone (Orindal) … Asheville band … album release show to be rescheduled

22.) 15) Greg Dulli _ Random Desire (BMG)
23.) 19) Grimes _ Miss Anthropocene (4AD)
24.) Squirrel Flower _ I Was Born Swimming (Full Time Hobby)

25.) X) 15) 26) Torres _ Silver Tongue (Merge) … Torres scheduled to play May 24 @ The Mothlight

26.) Shane Parish _ Death Bell Knellin’ (Weird Cry) … Asheville artist … album release show to be rescheduled

27.) 28) 13) 15) Shopping _ All Or Nothing (Fat Cat)
28.) SUSS _ High Line (NORTHERN SPY)
29.) XX) 7) 3) 21) 2) 1) 13) 22) X) 10) Negativland _ True False (Seeland)
30.) Parker Longbough _ Green and Gold / Drink the Hemlock (Wilderhood)

weekly rank.) previous) rank) * X) = did not chart that week

(compiled by Associate Music Director DJ Airon)

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Asheville FM WSFM-LP
864 Haywood Rd.
Asheville, NC 28806

ashevillefm.org

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3/17/2020 – What You Need to Know: COVID-19 in Buncombe County

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Posted 3/17/2020 @4:o0pm

Throughout the wake of COVID-19 and practicing social distancing, information and resources will be posted here under “What You Need to Know: COVID-19 in Buncombe County. It will be updated as we monitor Asheville and Buncome County relating to COVID-19. Here is some basic information and resources.

Food Options:

  • Buncombe County Schools is hosting drive-thru pick up stations for breakfast and lunch in all of their districts at
    • Oakley Elementary
    • Johnston Elementary
    • Emma Elementary
    • West Buncombe Elementary
    • Hominy Valley Elementary 
    • Pisgah Elementary
    • Owen High School
    • Black Mountain Primary
    • Weaverville Elementary
    • North Windy Ridge Intermediate
    • Estes Elementary
  • Baked Pie Company will be giving out free bagged lunches that include PB&J on wheat bread, an apple, white milk, and a cookie. They will be doing this from 10am to 8pm Tuesday thru Saturday. 
  • White Duck Taco in Asheville will be giving away 1 free regular taco to students K-12 Monday thru Friday
  • Biscuit Head will be offering one free biscuit to school age kids
  • Boondocks Sports Bar and Grill of Marion is offering a free kids meal to students everyday until 5pm until school is back open.
  • YMCA will use its mobile food markets to hand out prepacked take home dinners. 11:30 am to 1 pm. Located at:
    • Oakley Elementary
    • Estes Elementary
    • Black Mountain ELementary
    • Pisgah Elementary
    • West Buncombe ELementary
    • Weaverville Elementary 
  • WLOS has information on locations providing free breakfast and/or lunch

 

Buncombe County Health and Human Services will begin operating two drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites, starting Tuesday, March 17. Testing sites will be located at Biltmore Church in Arden and at UNC Asheville off of W.T. Weaver Boulevard.

http://coronavirus.unca.edu

North Carolina’s number of known COVID-19 cases (positive and confirmed) stood at 33 cases at the end of this weekend. Nationally, there are around 3,800 confirmed cases. There have been 69 deaths in the United States, none in North Carolina. At least 20 states have closed all schools. Buncombe County had a visitor from Macon County that tested positive for COVID-19. 

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/03/16/coronavirus-what-you-need-know-asheville-nc-march-16/5057074002/

BCHHS gave the following guidelines for seeking medical evaluation and advice: 

  • If you or a family member has a fever AND cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider, or an urgent care if you do not have a health care provider. DO NOT show up at your health care provider’s office or the urgent care without calling first.
  • Do NOT go to the emergency room. Emergency rooms need to be able to serve the most critically ill.
  • If you are having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 and tell them your symptoms.
  • If you do not have a health care provider and cannot afford to be seen at an urgent care, call 828-250-5109 to speak with a Communicable Disease nurse at BCHHS. Leave a message and a CD nurse will return your call as quickly as possible.
  • People with symptoms should NOT come to the health department.

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/03/16/coronavirus-buncombe-county-wnc-confirms-covid-19-positive-macon-county-asheville/5058530002/

Test Information:

  • What to do if you experience symptoms
    • People struggling to breathe should call 911 and communicate with the EMS dispatcher about what is going on so they can make appropriate decisions
    • People who are not critically ill and have a primary care provider should call that provider before going to the office and prevent unnecessary exposure to others
    • If you do not have a primary care provider can call an urgent care facility or call the Buncombe health department at 828-250-5109 ONLY IF NECESSARY
  • Your Primary Care Provider
    • Local physicians can order a COVID-19 test. Dont go to the local DHHS in person
    • Tests will be taken in your health care facility and sent to a lab, you will NOT be routed to a lab
  • Testing is free of charge, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay
  • People are eligible for testing if they:
    • Have a fever combined with cough or shortness of breath
    • Have had contact with someone with COVID-19

All NC restaurants and bars go take-out and delivery only, no dine in services as of 5 pm today 

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/03/16/coronavirus-how-get-tested-asheville-how-long-takes/5058117002/


More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

Local Resources Available During the Pandemic

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RESOURCES:

BeLoved Asheville is collecting supplies for people who may not have funds or transportation to get supplies and for people on the streets. 

Items needed: soap, hand sanitizer, bleach-based cleaning products, disinfecting wipes, non-perishable food items, vitamin C, elderberry syrup or other immune boosters, Gatorade powdered mix, kleenex, toilet paper, dish soap and laundry detergent. 

Drop off items anytime Monday 3/16

8:30 am – 5:30 pm

10 North Market, Asheville, NC 28801 

Text 828 238 4350 for an alternative time 

Donate funds www.belovedasheville.com 

Follow BeLoved Asheville on Facebook for more information on how to support our community. 

 

Looking for delivery of local groceries? You can get that through Mother Earth Food, which delivers from the French Broad Food Co-Op and from local farms and food producers: motherearthfood.com.

 

And if you want food from local restaurants, order online with Kickback AVL at kickbackavl.com or call 828-585-6903, and one of Townsend’s fleet of drivers can bring you a steak dinner — or even tobacco. 

 

Takeout Central also delivers from local restaurants: takeoutcentral.com.

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/03/13/local-restaurants-double-down-cleaning-brace-tourism-impact/5030915002/

 

Local health care providers cannot yet test for the virus but are able to collect specimens. With approval from NC Department of Health and Human Services, they can have samples tested at a state lab.

Dr. Bobbie Short, interim superintendent for Asheville City Schools, said in a letter to ACS families the system’s preparations include:

  • An enhanced sanitizing process, with the maintenance department directed to proactively disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
  • Plans to add supplemental custodial personnel
  • Reviews of the food supply purchases to ensure students receive daily meals should coronavirus disrupt deliveries
  • developing a plan for continued learning should schools be closed due to the virus’ impact

A new email account, [email protected], has been set up to field non-medical questions about how to prepare a business or at home.

General information about COVID-19 in North Carolina can be found at the NCDHHS website, or by calling the NC Division of Public Health hotline at 866-462-3821.

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/03/04/coronavirus-nc-north-carolina-how-prepared-buncombe-covid-19/4945826002/

 


More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

Some COVID-19 Resources

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Resources from Durham-based activist, performance artist and Kinship Minister for Soulforce, Grace Nichols. Interview soon to follow:

Demands from Grassroots orgs during coronavirus:
https://transformativespaces.org/2020/03/04/demands-from-grassroots-organizers-concerning-covid-19/
_________________________________________________________________
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-cancel-everything/607675/

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Half Assed Disabled Prepper Tips for Preparing for a Coronavirus Quarantine
March 9, 2020, edited March 10, 2020
By Leah Piepzna-Samarasinha
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rIdpKgXeBHbmM3KpB5NfjEBue8YN1MbXhQ7zTOLmSyo/edit?fbclid=IwAR0b5RpaapCLPevm4dz9DLV1jfPi36EHELj1UNbFXPtJqEFMgy0zKB8eBoc

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Pod Mapping for Mutual Aid
By Rebel Sidney Black
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-QfMn1DE6ymhKZMpXN1LQvD6Sy_HSnnCK6gTO7ZLFrE/edit?fbclid=IwAR2ddvtSVqIVdhn82oRYaQE0PVDLXOpCxRbcTR4Y8CFm-WVGMxFYlMIe6AE

___________________________________________________________________

Quarantine’s have also caused a spike in domestic violence: Domestic Violence resources
https://www.thehotline.org/

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CNN Podcast – Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction (especially good commentary on ‘emotional contagion’ and not spreading panic inducing information)
https://open.spotify.com/show/3nKvLT48YbbRQoCYQ4ern1
___________________________________________________________________
Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty
https://afsp.org/taking-care-of-your-mental-health-in-the-face-of-uncertainty/?fbclid=IwAR0MNZeH_9hsibqQj5U9JCo3cPDyt4ifGziieKcr1UJN56lW0RQ4HKZeqdA

____________________________________________________________________

Soulforce’s website: www.soulforce.org where viewers can join the mailing list and follow on social media for upcoming offerings on spiritual resiliency and grounding.

_____________________________________________________________________

From Democracy Now!:

https://ncov2019.live/

A teenager’s website tracking coronavirus has become one of the most vital resources for people seeking accurate and updated numbers on the pandemic.
17-year-old Avi Schiffmann, a high school junior from Mercer Island outside Seattle, who started the site in late December, when coronavirus had not yet been detected outside of China.
Now the site has been visited by tens of millions, from every country on Earth. It tracks deaths, numbers of cases locally and globally, and provides an interactive map, information on the disease, and a Twitter feed.
The resource updates every minute or so, and pulls information from the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and elsewhere.
_____________________________________________________
A couple Asheville specific pieces:
________________________________________________________________
AND From an anonymous public health professional based on CDC

Best practices include staying at home.

-When not at home, keep 6 feet between you and the next person,

-Wipe down surfaces with sanitizer.

-In grocery stores, sanitize your cart before use and after no longer using it.

-Wash your hands when you get home.

 

-If you are 60+ or have underlying health conditions, isolate as much as possible.

 

Regarding COVID-19:

-People can be asymptomatic and still carry the virus

-Rate of transmission is 1:3 so every one person is likely to spread to 3 people. This is in part why social distancing and isolation is important. 

-Try not to touch your face.

It is spread by lung droplets entering mucous membranes, not airborne.

-There is no reason to wear a mask unless you are sick. Masks help prevent the spread FROM you.

-If sick, and relatively healthy- DON’T go to the doctor unless you cannot break your fever or have shortness of breath.

 

-Societally, we are trying to not overload the health system that cant handle a mass influx of people.

AND – Don’t panic

No Evil Foods Union and PLAN Line 3

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Airs on WSFM-LP 103.3 in Asheville / streaming at AshevilleFM from 3am EST on March 16th through 22nd, 2020 and podcasting on libsyn.com.

No Evil Foods Union and PLAN Line 3

Union Busting At No Evil Foods

This week on The Final Straw, we’re presenting two conversations. The first was a chat with workers from the local, plant-based protein company ‘No Evil Foods’. The company has been getting flack for using social justice imagery while working to undermine unionization efforts at it’s factory here in Asheville, NC. The workers talk about strategies they took in organizing attempts and experiences they had with disinformation about collective bargaining from the management and the union-busting consultants in their employ. In order to protect the anonymity of the workers, we’ve replaced their voices with our own. See our show notes for a script of the chat. Although not affiliated with the unionizing effort, the fedbook page for Asheville Solidarity Network hosts some of the flyers in support of workers unionizing No Evil Foods and Mission Hospital. It’s also acting as a hub for posts about mutual aid responses to the Covid-19 and the Corona virus crises in the Asheville Area. For more resources in different places around solidarity and mutual aid in this intense time, visit ItsGoingDown.org.

To see a few pictures of the propaganda distributed to No Evil Foods workers, check our show notes. Here are also a couple of links to flyers against the union busting found on social media (1, 2) as well as a post about a Zapatista school complaining of misrepresentation by No Evil Foods in their marketing and a collection of links including audio recorded from one of the forced anti-union meetings.

PLANning for Anti-Pipeline Action

After that, you’ll hear a conversation with Garrett, an anarchist involved in Pipeline Legal Action Network, based in so-called Minnesota. PLAN has recently published a legal workbook for people planning around resisting pipeline infrastructure expansion, in particular with the Line 3 pipeline. The guide also brings together a lot of other useful resources for any crew or affinity group and is available for free at PlanLine3.com alongside a lot of other material.

Announcements

Share Your Words For Our 10 Year Anniversary Show

Basically, we’re opening up the lines to hear what you have to say to us. Send us a message about the show, any memories you have, what you’d like to see or how it has affected you.  Instructions for signal voice messages, voicemails or sending us mp3’s can be found here.

New Free Community Meals in Asheville

On Sundays at 4pm near 644 Haywood, just around the corner from Firestorm Books, a project calling itself Hot Potatoes is offering free, hot meals from reclaimed and donated ingredients to the community as well as free produce when available.

Grand Jury Resistance

Grand Jury resistors Chelsea Manning and Jeremy Hammond have been ordered released from the Arlington, VA jail where they’ve been held while refusing to participate in Federal Grand Juries concerning Wikileaks and the attempted extradition of Julian Assange. This came days after Chelsea allegedly attempted self-harm or suicide in her cell under the stress of nearly a year in prison and after only about a year after being released from an military prison. Amazingly, although the government was imposing a fine of a thousand dollars for each day of her incarceration for refusal, within a few days of her release the fines a crowd source fundraiser paid off the remaining $267,000 in fees she was facing upon release. Jeremy Hammond, meanwhile, is being transferred back to Federal prison where he will resume the last few months of his incarceration. His time was put on hold during his resistance of the grand jury. More on his Jeremy’s case and how to write him a letter of support can be found at FreeJeremy.net and more about Chelsea is up at ReleaseChelsea.com.

Prisoner Corona Virus Hotline

Starting Monday, IWOC and Fight Toxic Prisons chapters will be opening a hotline that prisoners in the so-called US can call into to report outbreaks, denial of adequate medical care and other circumstances related to Corona Virus. To allow for the calls to be free for prisoners, fundraising is happening now. You can learn more at bit.ly/covid19prison

Update on Eric King

Anarchist and antifascist prisoner Eric King is fighting a possible 20 year charge added to his remaining time. In recent disclosures he talks about his targeting by prison staff at FCI Englewood, who threatened him and his family during visiting time, including consciously sitting his partner and their two kids near to the sex offenders during visitation, rather than in the separate family section. In his statement to the court, Eric says that when he attempted to use the prisons own complaint mechanisms he was further targeted for assault and harassment by staff, including continued harassment about his family, threats that fall under the protections afforded by the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003, interferences with his ability to communicate with his family and his lawyers, removal of his personal and legal items and more. You can read the whole thing up at SupportEricKing.org, where you can also find the fundraiser for his legal defense to fight this 20 year hit he might face. The fundraiser is also up at fundrazr.com/e1cKo1. You can also find our interview from last year with Eric at our website.

Month in solidarity with Bomani Shakur

Finally, for the month of April, 2020, the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement and others will be trying to focus attention on the Lucasville Uprising death row case of Bomani Shakur, aka Keith Lamar. He’s been held for almost 18 years for charges related to the uprising and has been denied the ability to effectively challenge his death sentence even though the state recognizes that it withheld potentially exculpatory evidence in his initial conviction. You can learn more about his case and how to get involved in the month of action for Bomani at revolutionaryabolition.org , more about his case at KeithLamar.org and our past interview with Bomani at our website.

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