Dare County officials, in consultation with the Dare County Control Group, announced Tuesday evening plans to address lifting entry restrictions into the county for nonresident property owners. Decisions on allowing visitors will be made later.
Entry will be allowed for those nonresident property owners whose last name begins with A-I entry beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, May 4. Entry for nonresident property owners whose last name begins with J-R will begin at 6 a.m. Wednesday, May 6. Starting at 6 a.m. Friday, May 8, entry will be allowed for nonresident property owners whose last name begins with S-Z.
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Nonresident property owners will need a valid entry permit with matching government issued ID. Entry permits can be obtained online at www.darenc.com/entry. Permits will be issued to the two primary owners listed on the tax record for each property. Display the permit and ID against the glass for examination by law enforcement officers at the checkpoint. Business entry documentation remains unchanged.
The following restrictions will remain in place and must be followed:
- Dare County’s Stay Home – Stay Healthy order has been extended to May 22.
- North Carolina’s Stay at Home order – in place until at least April 29.
- If you are sick, stay home.
- Mass gatherings are limited to 10 or fewer individuals.
- Travel only for essential needs.
- Only have direct contact with members of your immediate household.
The announcement from the county states that there have been a number of changes that there have been a number of improvements with the county’s position regarding COVID-19, including:
- There have been no new positive COVID-19 cases in Dare County for over a week.
- Syndromic surveillance indicates no immediate increase in respiratory illness or COVID-19 related symptoms. Syndromic Surveillance is relying on detection of health indicators that are discernible before confirmed diagnoses are made.
- Testing is now readily available in Dare County in accordance with current NC DHHS guidelines.
- Testing turnaround, or the time between specimen collection and test results, has dramatically decreased over the past few weeks. Results are now received within 24-72 hours.
- The Dare County Department of Public Health has increased capacity for contact tracing.
Dare County Emergency Management has confirmed with essential business operators, primarily grocery retailers, that with advance notice they have the ability to increase delivery of essential goods.
Medical surge capacity has gone from planning to implementation locally, regionally and across the state. Based on current COVID-19 case numbers and future projections, patients can be transported to a healthcare facility that can provide the higher level of care as needed.
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All essential retailers must adhere to the Governor’s Executive Order No. 131 and comply with restrictions on the number of individuals allowed entry based on square footage of space, which may lead to a longer wait time for shoppers to enter stores.
Additionally, individuals are now required to wear a mask or cloth face covering in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain such as in grocery stores and pharmacies.
At this time, beaches remain open but will be monitored to ensure that social distancing guidelines are adhered to and that there are no gatherings of more than 10 people. If guidelines are not followed, some beaches and public areas may be closed.
Decisions regarding access for visitors will be addressed at a future date following necessary syndrome surveillance and monitoring of resource availability after nonresident property owners return and state orders are updated.
For additional information, call the COVID-19 Call Center at 252.475.5008. The Dare County COVID-19 Call Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Questions on entry can also be sent to COVID19@darenc.com.
