• By Forsyth County Government
• Posted Friday, March 13, 2020

Forsyth County declares COVID-19 state of emergency effective March 13, 2020

In conjunction with the President’s and the Governor’s declarations of state of emergency pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic, Forsyth County, North Carolina, has declared a state of emergency effective March 13, 2020. This emergency declaration allows the county to claim and receive reimbursement for labor, supplies, and materials associated with its COVID-19 response. No civil restrictions are imposed in the declaration, but the County has the ability to impose restrictions if the need arises. For details on what the declaration entails, please see the attached declaration.

WHEREAS the novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a new disease spreading across the globe causing flu-like symptoms, but with markedly higher rates of death, particularly among the elderly and medically vulnerable populations;

WHEREAS COVID-19 is believed to have begun in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, the first case was detected in the United States on January 21, 2020, and the first case was confirmed in North Carolina on March 3, 2020;

WHEREAS on January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared COVID-19 to be a public health emergency in the United States;

WHEREAS on March 10, 2020, in order to address and mitigate the threat of COVID-19 to vulnerable populations and to slow the spread of COVID-19 in North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in North Carolina;

WHEREAS on March 11, 2020, noting that COVID-19 had infected more than 118,000 people in 114 countries and had caused 4,291 deaths, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic;

WHEREAS on March 12, 2020, the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health stated that two Forsyth County residents tested presumptively positive for COVID-19;

WHEREAS on March 13, 2020, President Trump declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency;

WHEREAS as a result of the above-described public health emergency, I have determined that there is an imminent threat of, or existing conditions have caused or will cause, widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property, and public safety authorities may be unable to maintain public order or afford adequate protection for lives or property; and

WHEREAS declaring a State of Emergency and imposing the restrictions and prohibitions ordered herein is necessary to maintain order and protect public health, safety, and welfare, and to secure property;

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority vested in me as the Chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners under Article 1A of Chapter 166A of the North Carolina General Statutes and Section 9-21 of the Forsyth County Code of Ordinances, I hereby declare and proclaim the following:

Section 1. A State of Emergency is hereby declared within the jurisdiction of Forsyth County.

Section 2. The emergency area covered by this state of emergency shall be the unincorporated areas of Forsyth County.

Section 3. I hereby order all Forsyth County law enforcement officers, public health employees, emergency response personnel, and all other county employees subject to our control to cooperate in the enforcement and implementation of the provisions of this Declaration, all applicable local ordinances, state and federal laws, and the Forsyth County Emergency Operations Plan.

Section 4. I hereby order this declaration: (a) to be distributed to the news media and other organizations calculated to bring its contents to the attention of the general public; (b) to be filed with Clerk to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners and (c) to be distributed to others as necessary to ensure proper implementation of this declaration.

Section 5. This declaration shall take effect on Friday, March 13, 2020 at 6:30 pm and shall remain in effect until modified or rescinded.

DECLARED this the 13th of March, 2020, at 6:30 pm.

David R. Plyler, Chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners

ATTEST:

Ashleigh M. Sloop, Forsyth County Clerk to the Board