Buncombe County issues “Stay Home - Stay Safe” declaration
Order closes non-essential businesses and limits activities
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
A “Stay Home - Stay Safe” supplemental order to Buncombe County’s state of emergency declaration, signed today by the county board of commissioners chair Brownie Newman, will go into effect at 8 p.m., Thursday, March 26.
The measure, which applies to all six municipalities within the county, including Black Mountain and Montreat, is intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. The order will close non-essential businesses and limit non-essential activities for residents until at least 6 a.m., Thursday, April 9, Buncombe County Emergency Preparedness Director Fletcher Tove said.
“All individuals currently living in Buncombe County are ordered to stay in place, at their place of residence,” Tove said. “All persons may leave their residence only for essential activities, or to provide or perform essential government functions or to operate essential businesses.”
Essential businesses, which are listed in 12 categories in the interpretive guide issued in conjunction with the declaration, are ordered to comply with the guidance and directives for maintaining a clean and safe work environment issued by the Department of Health, including social distancing.
Retail services, such as grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, hardware stores and those selling household staples, are among the operations considered essential.
Businesses not identified in the services listed in the order are deemed non-essential and required to cease all activities at facilities within the county. Operations that allow employees to work from home may continue to do business.
Non-essential businesses are permitted to perform “necessary activities to maintain the value of the business’s inventory, preserve the condition of the business’s physical plant and equipment, ensure security, process payroll and employee benefits, or for related functions,” the document states.
Restaurants and breweries are allowed to continue take-out and delivery services under the order.
Residents can leave their homes only for essential activities, as defined in the declaration. Obtaining necessary supplies, engaging in activities essential to health and safety, outdoor activity, caring for others and essential work are among the activities defined as essential.
The order prohibits all public gatherings outside of the household, but allows for outdoor recreation and exercise while maintaining a distance of 6 feet from others.
All lodging with rentals or leases for less than one month are required to close, with the exception of work-related accommodations, facilities housing the homeless and those being used for the purposes of quarantine.
The order also calls for all visitors to the county from areas experiencing community transmission of COVID-19, notably those from New York, Washington and California, to self-quarantine in their residence for 14 days upon arrival.
Religious services must be provided by video or teleconference only, while religious institutions must limit staff to 10 people or less when preparing for those services.
The document also prohibits all elective medical, surgical and dental procedures in the county.
The declaration is not a “shelter in place” order, according to Tove.
“Shelter in place only permits emergency travel and emergency services, so it is fundamentally more restrictive than a stay at home order,” he said. “Buncombe County is not currently planning to enact a shelter in place order.”
Failure to comply with the county’s order is a Class 2 misdemeanor, but county agencies will enforce the measure through “education, dialogue and seeking voluntary cooperation from all restaurants and businesses,” according to Tove.
To read the Stay Home - Stay Safe declaration in its entirety, click here.
To read the Stay Home - Stay Safe Supplemental Declaration Interpretative Guide, click here.