Xpress Assistant Editor Daniel Walton and local community figures discuss how the year’s events have accelerated many of the issues that were already facing Western North Carolina.
Tag: COVID-19
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From CPP: Court driving NC prisons reform, but expert advice on handling pandemic still rejected
Swannanoa inmate: ‘I probably have the COVID, but they don’t want to test me because they gave it to me.’
Mission COVID-19 patients double as holidays approach
While there’s light at the end of the proverbial COVID-19 tunnel, Western North Carolina residents cannot let down their guard. Over the last week, the percent of positive COVID-19 tests has risen to 7.8% in Buncombe County; the county’s daily COVID-19 case counts now average 100 or higher.
BCTDA records best-ever monthly room sales
Buncombe County logged $53 million in room sales for October, the latest month for which data is available. The figure represents a 6% increase over the $50 million in sales for the same month in 2019 — and an all-time monthly record.
From CPP: Vaccine details still unclear as NC hospitals receive initial shipments
Some NC hospitals have clear plans while others still working out details. Some not responding to questions about COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Infectioner’s sugar
From NC Health News: COVID funds to fix NC’s rural internet ‘dead zones’ likely won’t be used
More than nine months into a pandemic that underscored deficiencies in rural broadband, many remote communities still lack access to the internet.
Carolina Beer Guy: Rural breweries face distinct pandemic challenges
Spacious outdoor areas have helped keep Homeplace, Innovation, Whiteside and Mad Co. in business, though mask noncompliance from tourists has offered occasional challenges.
Cooper announces modified stay-at-home order effective Dec. 11
Starting Friday at 5 p.m., North Carolina will move into a modified stay-at-home order, requiring most people to remain in their homes from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. All businesses will be required to close by 10 p.m.; all on-site alcohol consumption must end by 9 p.m.
State COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rate remain elevated
Following a weekend of consecutive record increases in new COVID-19 cases, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 2,240 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Dec. 6 — the fifth consecutive state high for coronavirus-related hospitalizations.
Bottled up
Buncombe board to vote on Vance removal recommendation
On Monday, Dec. 7, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will decide whether to accept the recommendation of the Vance Monument Task Force, a body jointly appointed by the county and city of Asheville, to take down the downtown obelisk that memorializes Confederate Gov. Zebulon Vance.
COVID-19 cases shatter previous state record
On Dec. 3, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 5,637 new cases, more than 1,000 above the previous record set on Nov. 22 and the largest margin by which a previous high has been exceeded.
From CPP: Vaccine on the horizon for North Carolinians
State plans to make COVID-19 vaccine available for free, prioritized first to health care workers, residents and workers at long-term care facilities.
WNC’s state legislators talk 2021 challenges
Chief among the issues facing the General Assembly next year, said Sen. Chuck Edwards, would be balancing the state’s next budget to reflect pandemic-driven downturns in revenue. He estimated that the shortfall compared to current spending levels could be as much as $8 billion.
Break with tradition
From CPP: Staffing demands as pandemic surges could cripple NC hospitals
While beds and ventilators were a concern for hospitals early in the pandemic, officials now worry about having enough trained staff to handle the rising case load, and frontline workers cope with burnout.
Asheville Integrative Medicine closes up shop
Asheville Integrative Medicine will close next month, a victim of COVID-19 and the ensuing recession.
Buncombe officials to start enforcing mask, capacity mandates
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer updated their own executive orders on Nov. 25, outlining local plans to enforce the face covering mandate and commercial capacity limits.
Ahead of Thanksgiving, COVID-19 spreads across North Carolina
On Nov. 22, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 4,514 new cases of COVID-19 across the state, marking the latest record for the most cases recorded in a single day.
Short-term rentals lead Buncombe tourism recovery
While overall hotel revenue was down more than 27% year-over-year in September, the latest month for which data is available, overall vacation rental sales that month increased by about 55% year-over-year, according to Explore Asheville interim CEO Chris Cavanaugh.