Gov. Roy Cooper’s Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Task Force – which was set up earlier this year to combat the threat of the virus that’s now spreading – is holding a meeting on Thursday, March 12 in the State Emergency Operations Center Situation Room in Raleigh in order to discuss what actions can be taken to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, in North Carolina.
On Tuesday, March 10, Cooper declared a State of Emergency in North Carolina in order to have more leeway to strengthen the state’s response to the virus. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has also been meeting in an attempt to deal with the new strain of virus that is now showing up in central North Carolina.
According to a Wednesday, March 11 press release, the task force meeting is “intended to foster collaboration and communication across state agencies and further planning to respond to current and future scenarios for COVID-19.”
The task force is allowing media into the 9 a.m. meeting in Raleigh. The meeting will also be live streamed at www.ncdps.gov/COVID19update. At that meeting, the task force will hear the latest from NC Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry, the governor, health officials and others.
At the county level as well, the virus has become a major topic of discussion among local leaders. At the Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, March 5, the virus came up for the first time in a commissioners meeting, and Guilford County Manager Marty Lawing discussed a multitude of actions the county is taking to address the threat that’s proven to be especially deadly to the elderly and those with medical problems.
Also, Guilford County Health Department officials have been meeting with the leaders of Guilford County Schools to consider options for the schools. Schools and colleges across the country are now considering – or have already announced – closures.
