Macon County Board of Commissioners Declare State of Emergency Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Carmine Rocco, Interim Health Director, Informs County Commissioners what his department is doing in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic



The Macon County Board of Commissioners met this afternoon in the commissioner's boardroom in a meeting closed to the general public. Only staff, elected officials, and credentialed media were allowed in the meeting. In what may be an unprecedented event, there were three live video streams of the meeting and one audio streamed to a radio station, which then broadcast the audio over the air.

Video of the Meeting
(the county Wifi system went down during the meeting, so a portion of the middle of the meeting is missing. I will attempt to reconstruct it from a backup audio file.

A copy of the Proclamation of a State of Emergency is posted below the videos. It has been transcribed via an Optical Character Recognition program, so the text may not be accurate. The county did not have a searchable digital document available, only physical copies that were then photographed. Any errors in transcription are mine and unintentional (Bobby).

Part One



Part two




Patrick Betancourt, Director of the Macon County Department of Health and Humans Services updates commissioners on how his department is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ROLL CALL
(elected critters)

Chairman Jim Tate
Vice-Chairman Ronnie Beale
Paul Higdon (left early)
Gary Shields
Karl Gillespie

Sheriff Robert Holland

(news media critters)

Macon Media (me)
Macon County News and Shopping Guide
WFSC-AM/WNCC-FM
The Franklin Press



PROCLAMATION OF STATE OF EMERGENCY
MACON COUNTY

Section 1.
whereas, the coronavirus ("COVID-19") is a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death and is a new strain of coronavirus previously unidentified in humans and can spread from person to person; and

Whereas, in response to the global spread of the virus and the disease it causes and the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020; and

Whereas, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared the ongoing COVID-19 a pandemic of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant an emergency declaration for all states, tribes, territories and the District on Columbia; and

Whereas, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services ("NCDHHS”) confirmed the number of cases in COVID-19 in North Carolina continues to rise; and

Whereas, The Governor of North Carolina by Executive Order 116 declared a State of Emergency for the State of North Carolina on March 10, 2020; and

Whereas, The Governor of North Carolina by Executive Order 117 prohibited mass gatherings and directed the statewide closure of K-12 public schools to limit the spread of COVID-19; and

Whereas, in consultation with health care professionals and based upon guidance provided, arrangements must be made immediately to take such actions as are deemed necessary and appropriate to ensure that residents and visitors in Macon County remain safe and secure; and

Whereas, I have determined that an emergency exists as defined by N.C. General Statutes 166A-19.3 (6).

Now, Therefore, pursuant to County Ordinance 31.05, Chapter 166A-19.22 of the General Statutes and Article 36A Chapter 14 of the General Statutes, I have determined that a State of Emergency exists in the County of Macon.


Section 2. I, therefore, proclaim the existence of a State of Emergency in the County of Macon.

I further proclaim that this Declaration of a State of Emergency does not apply within the municipal limits of the following municipal governments:

Town of Franklin
Town of Highlands

Section 3. I hereby order all county law enforcement, county employees, and all other emergency management personnel subject to my control to cooperate in the enforcement and implementation of any emergency ordinances and the provisions of the Macon County Emergency Operations Plan. and

Section 4. Mass gatherings of persons in groups of more than 100 people are prohibited.

a. A mass gathering is defined as any event or convening that brings together more than 100 people in a single room or single space at the same time, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, theater, or any other confines indoor or outdoor space. This includes parades, fairs, and festivals.

b. a mass gathering does not include normal operations at airports, medical facilities, and shopping centers, or other spaces where more than one hundred (100) persons are gathered. It does not include office environments, restaurants, factories, grocery stores, and retail establishments.

Section 5. It is hereby unlawful to sell or rent or offer to sell or rent any goods or services which are consumed or used as a direct result of an emergency or which are consumed or used to preserve, protect, or sustain life, health, safety, or well-being of persons or property with the knowledge and intent to charge a price that is unreasonably excessive under the circumstances or engage in any price gouging practices as defined by General Statues

Section 6. This proclamation shall become effective immediately.

Proclaimed this the 17th day of March 2020, at 4:30 P.M.

JIM TATE
CHAIRMAN
MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS





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Published at 5:34pm on Tuesday, March 17, 2020