Dear Friend of Senate District 10,

I hope you had a great week thus far. I wanted to take a moment and wish you all a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend. I hope you all take a moment this weekend to remember and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. This Memorial Day, we praise the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the name of our country. Their selfless devotion, outstanding courage, and honor should inspire us to make their sacrifice meaningful each day. 

On Monday, the Senate was back in Raleigh for the beginning of the 2020 Short Session. Following the passage of both S.B. 704 (COVID-19 Recovery Act) and H.B. 1043 (2020 COVID-19 Recovery Act) a few weeks ago, both bodies look to continue their work to address the remaining phases of our state's response to the COVID-19 epidemic. Additionally, members plan to address outstanding legislative issues remaining from this past year's Long Session and we will also begin to work on a proposed budget that will reflect the current financial status of our state following COVID-19. 


As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist you in any way possible. 

 

Sincerely,
 

 

 
We have continued to see numerous and quickly changing updates on the virus and re-opening parts of our state. It is my goal to continue to keep you all updated on these changes.

As many of you are aware, the Governor has announced that restaurants and bars will be permitted to open at 50% capacity starting this Friday. 

Restaurants are required to:

• Ensure social distancing by arranging tables and seating to achieve at least 6-foot separation between parties for indoor and outdoor dining.
• Each group of people sitting at a counter should be separated by six (6) feet.
• Permit no more than 50% of maximum occupancy as stated in fire capacity. Restaurants may permit up to 12 people per 1,000 feet if there is not a fire code number available.
• Post the reduced “Emergency Maximum Capacity” in a conspicuous place. Sign templates are available in English and Spanish on the NC DHHS COVID-19 response site.
• Post signage reminding people about social distancing (staying at least 6 feet away from others). Know Your W's sign templates are available in English and Spanish on the NC DHHS COVID-19 response website.
• Mark six (6) feet of spacing in lines at high-traffic areas for customers, such as any cash register or any place where customers wait to be seated

DHHS recommends that restaurants:

• Allow no more than 6 people at a table, unless they are a family from the same household. You do not need to ask whether groups are a family.
• Don’t use shared tables among multiple parties unless the seats can be arranged to maintain social distancing between parties.
• Require patrons to wait outside, with markings to ensure 6 feet apart, with floor markings and instructions for social distancing.
• Provide hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) at the entrance when available.
• Provide education to employees on how to properly wear, remove, and wash or dispose of face coverings.
• Install physical barriers, such as sneeze guards and partitions at cash registers, or other food pickup areas where maintaining physical separation of 6 feet is difficult.
• Advise all waitstaff to stay 6 feet away from customers to the extent possible.
• Advise all employees to stay 6 feet away from each other to the extent possible.
• Stagger seating times to the extent possible by using reservation systems or other methods; rotate or stagger shifts to limit the number of employees in the workplace at the same time
• Consider alternative options to gathering lots of people in a small area, such as having people wait in their cars and alerting them by phone when their table is ready.
• Staff meetings should be held virtually or provided by written notes instead of congregating.
• Reduce condiments and other items on the table for use between customers; provide condiments by request only; or provide disposable condiment packs.
• Continue to provide take-out, curbside pickup, and delivery options.
• Use rolled utensils and discontinue preset table settings.
• Continue to offer contactless payment options, curbside pickup, and delivery; if possible, use phone app technology to alert patrons when their table is ready to avoid the use of pagers or buzzers.
• Use touchless payment options as much as possible. Ask customers and employees to exchange cash or card payments by placing on a receipt tray or on the counter rather than by hand. Wipe any pens, counters, or trays between use and between customers with a disinfecting wipe.
• Designate an ordering area at bars when wait staff are not available to visit each table. The ordering area should be at least 6 feet from other patrons seated at the bar.

Cloth Face Coverings:

• It is strongly recommended that all employees and customers wear a cloth or disposable face covering when they may be near (less than 6 feet from) other people in the restaurant. A FAQ about-face coverings are available in English and Spanish.
• It is encouraged that businesses provide face coverings for employees and customers. If provided, they must be single-use or properly laundered using hot water and a high heat dryer between uses.
• Please share guidance to employees on use, wearing, and removal of cloth face coverings, such as CDC’s guidance on wearing and removing cloth face masks, CDC’s use of cloth face coverings, and CDC’s cloth face coverings FAQ’s.

Cleaning and Hygiene:

• Washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer reduces the spread of transmission.

Restaurants are required to:

• Perform ongoing and routine environmental cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas (e.g., doors, doorknobs, rails) with an EPA approved disinfectant for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), and increasing disinfection during peak times or high customer density times and all shared objects (e.g., payment terminals, tables, countertops/bars, receipt trays, condiment holders) between use.
• Disinfect dining tables and booths, including condiment containers and reusable menus, between each use, allowing the disinfectant to sit for the necessary contact time recommended by the manufacturer.
• Promote frequent use of handwashing and hand sanitizer for wait/food service staff upon reporting to work and frequently throughout a shift. Hand washing is required to at least meet the requirements as specified in the North Carolina Food Code Manual, Sections 2-301.12, 2-301.14, and 2-301.15.

It is recommended that restaurants:

• Systematically and frequently check and refill hand sanitizers (at least 60% alcohol) and assure soap and hand drying materials are available at sinks.
• Use disposable menus, a menu display board, or mobile options, between customers/groups.
• Use single-use/disposable linens when possible. If using disposable linens is not possible, sanitize cloth linens after each customer.
• Provide, whenever available, hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) at the entrance and other areas.
• Avoid offering any self-serve food or drink options, such as buffets, salad bars, and drink stands.

If self-serve is used:

• Provide an attendant at buffet areas to monitor social distancing and remove any contaminated food or utensils.
• Change, clean, and sanitize serving utensils (e.g., tongs, bulk food dispenser spoons) every 30 minutes.
• Have employees plate food for customers or provide increased monitoring of self-service areas.
• Encourage handwashing and hand sanitizer use among customers before using the self-service area. Provide hand sanitizer at the beginning of each service line and post signage requesting use before handling utensils.
• Monitoring for Symptoms Monitoring for Symptoms
• Conducted regular screening for symptoms can help reduce exposure to COVID-19. Encourage employees to self-monitor for symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
• If they develop symptoms, they should notify their supervisor and stay home.
• More information on how to monitor for symptoms is available from the CDC.

Restaurants are required to:

• Conduct daily symptom screening (use this standard interview questionnaire) (English|Spanish) of employees at the entrance with immediately sending symptomatic workers home to isolate.
• Post signage at the main entrance requesting that people who have been symptomatic with fever and/or cough not enter, such as Know Your Ws/Stop if You Have Symptoms flyers (English - Color, Black & White; Spanish - Color, Black & White).
• Employees who have symptoms when they arrive at work or become sick during the day should immediately be separated from other employees, customers, and visitors and sent home.

It is recommended that restaurants:

• Have a plan in place for immediately removing employees from work if symptoms develop.
• Establish and enforce sick leave policies to prevent the spread of disease, including:
  • Enforcing employees staying home if sick.
  • Encouraging liberal use of sick leave policy.
  • Expanding paid leave policies to allow employees to stay home when sick.

• Per CDC guidelines, if an employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is presumed positive by a medical professional due to symptoms, the employee should be excluded from work until:
  • No fever for at least 72 hours since recovery (without the use of fever-reducing medicine) AND
  • Other symptoms have improved (e.g., coughing, shortness of breath) AND
  • At least 10 days have passed since the first symptoms
• Per CDC guidelines, if an employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but does not have symptoms, they should remain out of work until 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test results, assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive test.
• Require symptomatic employees to wear masks until leaving the facility. Cleaning and disinfecting procedure should be implemented by designated personnel following CDC guidelines once the sick employee leaves.
• Provide employees with information on helplines to access information or other support in reference to COVID-19, e.g. 211 and Hope4NC Helpline (1-855-587-3463)

Protecting Vulnerable Populations:

• Information on who is at higher risk for severe disease is available from the CDC and NC DHHS.

It is recommended that restaurants:

• Designate a specific time for persons at higher risk to access the restaurant without the general population (such as early morning, or late afternoon).
• Enable employees to self-identify as high risk for severe disease and reassign work to minimize face-to-face contact and to allow them to maintain a distance of six feet from others, or to telework if possible.

Combatting Misinformation:

• Help make sure that the information your employees are getting is coming directly from reliable resources.
• Use resources from a trusted source like the CDC or NCDHHS to promote behaviors that prevent the spread of COVID-19.

It is recommended that restaurants:

• Provide workers with education about COVID-19 strategies, using methods like videos, webinars, or FAQs. Some reliable sources include NC DHHS COVID-19, Know Your W’s: Wear, Wait, Wash, NC DHHS COVID-19 Latest Updates, NC DHHS COVID-19 Materials & Resources
• Promote informational helplines like 211 and Hope4NC and other Wellness Resources.
• Put up signs and posters, such as those found Know Your W’s: Wear, Wait, Wash and those found Social Media Toolkit for COVID-19.
• Message through media and social media.

Water and Ventilation Systems:

• Reduced use of water and ventilation systems can pose their own health hazards. There is increased risk for Legionella and other from stagnant or standing water.

Before reopening, it is recommended that:

• Follow the CDC’s Guidance for Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation to minimize the risk of diseases associated with water.
• Ensure ventilation systems operate properly and increase the circulation of outdoor air as much as possible by opening windows and doors, using fans, or other methods. Do not open windows and doors if they pose a safety or health risk to people using the facility.

I will continue to do my best to make you aware of the different state mandates, suggestions to help mitigate the effects of the virus, and resources that are available to assist you.
As of this afternoon, North Carolina has had 20,122 cases of coronavirus according to the latest count on the state Department of Health and Human Services’ website.

The new weekly estimated number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 currently stands at 11,637. 

There all 100 counties with cases including Sampson, Duplin, and Johnston Counties

According to the DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services), website there are:

- 470 cases and 12 deaths in Duplin County 
-  273 cases and 1 death in Sampson County
-  276 cases and 17 deaths in Johnston County

For more information on the spread of the virus please visit: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/covid-19-case-count-nc
 

USDA Relief Funding

Yesterday, USDA announced details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to this direct support to farmers and ranchers, USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box program is partnering with regional and local distributors, whose workforces have been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other foodservice entities, to purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat and deliver boxes to Americans in need.

Beginning May 26, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Farm Service Agency (FSA), will be accepting applications from agricultural producers who have suffered losses.

To ensure the availability of funding throughout the application period, producers will receive 80 percent of their maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date as funds remain available.

USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only, and fieldwork will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment.

More information can be found at: 
https://www.farmers.gov/coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR1M_zQ1jvM_nmQE7JJJBgzSorSmTbC3TR-EwjBvqu-OsqMIzuDKEtlXzuI

For the most up-to-date COVID-19 information. Please visit the NCDHHS website, www.ncdhhs.gov/coronoavirus, and check the Updates page. You should also visit the CDC website for the latest information at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus. If you have specific questions or concerns related to COVID-19 in North Carolina, call 866-462-3821 for more information.

Please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html for the updates as well. 

I encourage you to stay tuned for daily updates from the CDC and NCDHHS. My office remains open for business. Please call 919-733-5705 to reach us. We will continue to serve NC families in a responsible, safe way. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance to you.

Sincerely,
 

Testing in the District

This past Saturday, at the Sampson County Complex, Sampson county held its first drive-thru COVID-19 testing site. Stations were strategically placed around the complex and, ultimately nearly 500 people received a test at no cost to them.
 

The Sampson County Health Department, assisted by Goshen Medical and Sampson Emergency Management, conducted the drive-thru testing event, which was initially intended to be a test run but soon became a public event.

The site at the county complex, located off Rowan Road, was opened to the general public at approximately 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

The event was originally serving as a test-run of the county’s capabilities of providing similar events for the general public. Testing was to be offered to a limited number of companies that requested such testing so the county could gauge its traffic flow, registration, and testing processes — all while protecting the confidentiality of health information of patients.

Testing was done on a first-come, first-served basis until 5 p.m. Saturday. There was no cost, but those participating were asked to bring their insurance, Medicare or Medicaid card if they had one.

The county had 700 COVID-19 tests available to potentially be administered, Holder noted. Ultimately, 493 tests were conducted.

As the day went on, health department workers would frequently transport completed COVID-19 tests from the coolers at the test station to a larger cooler at Emergency Management, where they were to stay for protection before being sent to the lab Monday.

On Monday, the Sampson County Health Department reported 33 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total to 257 positive cases to date. It was noted that, to date, 732 tests had been performed for COVID-19 in Sampson with another 104 pending. However, that did not reflect any tests conducted during the Saturday event so those hundreds of tests are all pending as well.

Of the 732 tests, there have been 371 negatives to go with the 257 positive tests. Of those positive patients, 61 are listed as recovered, according to county officials. Sampson’s lone death attributed to COVID-19 was reportedly between 50 and 55 years of age with underlying medical conditions.

County officials shared their appreciation for the staff of the Health Department, Emergency Management, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the assistance of Goshen Medical and the Red Cross, in making Saturday’s event possible.

Details will be shared by the Health Department once finalized. Anyone with questions is encouraged to call the COVID Help Line at 910-490-1056.

Health officials have continued to note the extensive contact tracing that comes with each investigation of positive cases, identifying those who have had close contact with positive patients, assessing their risk of exposure, and determining the necessary steps to be taken, from quarantine to additional testing.

Duplin will hold its first COVID-19 Diagnostic Drive-Thru testing event this Wednesday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Duplin Events Center. The drive-thru testing event is open to all Duplin County residents, but pre-registration is required. To schedule an appointment, residents should call 910-267-2044.

Commwell Health of Salemburg (500 S. Fayetteville St., Salemburg) currently provides testing for COVID-19. For more information, call 1-877-935-5255. Testing is available from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. Testing days, times, and locations are subject to change.

Clinton High School Seniors

According to Clinton High School (CHS) teacher Sabrina Reeves, an idea from a parent of a former CHS graduate to recognize seniors in some way served as the catalyst for what would become the banner project. Reeves loved the idea and began researching different options of how they could recognize the seniors.

On Saturday, volunteers helped place senior banners in Clinton. Reeves noted that Birtch Tree Services and BVJ (John Jones) donated their time and their services by allowing the use of their lift trucks to hang the banners. Aside from the two companies, Danny and Chande Champion, Nicky Thompson and CHS teacher Jennifer Thompson, Clinton City Schools (CCS) Board of Education member Jason Walters, and Reeves hung the banners along College Street and Beaman Street.

Clinton High School created a post on the school’s Facebook page on April 22 to let the community know they wanted to raise funds for this project. Reeves explained that parents and family members, businesses, school organizations within CHS and other support from the community helped raise the necessary funds for the project.

The community rallied to get this project to its end game and raise over $6,500 to fund the costs.

The banners were designed by Shannon Lee, with Vinyl Art by Shannon. A Newton Grove resident, Lee was responsible for the design of the banners Hobbton High School displayed in a similar project recently in Newton Grove.

Johnston Health Receives $444,000 Grant From The Duke Endowment

Johnston Health has received a $444,000 grant from The Duke Endowment to expand a community network known as Project Access, which improves access to health care services for low-income and uninsured residents in Johnston and Harnett counties.

This is the third time that Johnston Health has received grants from The Duke Endowment. Georgia Anthony, director of Project Access, says it will be used to continue the valuable work of the program for the next two years.

Since its launch in 2008, Project Access has assisted more than 4,600 Johnston and Harnett residents. To date, the value of health care services donated by providers, including Johnston Health and Harnett Health hospitals, exceeds $40 million.

Project Access has offices inside Johnston Medical Mall in Smithfield and on Tilghman Drive in Dunn. It is one of many physician-led initiatives that are assisting communities across the nation to establish and sustain coordinated systems of charity care. In North Carolina, there are currently 18 active Project Access programs.

For more information about Project Access visit https://www.johnstonhealth.org/patients-visitors/billing-insurance/project-access/

350 Computers Purchased For Smithfield Middle School

The Johnston County Public School Board has approved the purchase of 350 computers for students at Smithfield Middle School.  The additional Chromebooks will be used for personalized lessons, creative classroom lessons, research, and other activities, according to the board.

The total cost is $111,713 or $319.18 for each Chromebook.  The cost is based on state contract pricing.  The price includes “white glove service” which enables the Chromebooks to arrive ready to use, delivery, and a five-year warranty.

Smithfield Middle plans to allow students to check out Chromebooks for home use.