At an emergency meeting of the Hyde County Board of Commissioners, the board voted to approve the recommendation from the Ocracoke Deputy Control Group to implement visitor restrictions to Ocracoke beginning Thursday, March 19, 2020 at 5:00am.
This action was taken based on the recommendations from our local health officials in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. This restriction only applies to new visitors to the island, there is not an evacuation order. It does not apply to workers, residents, vendors, or property owners. Ocracoke entry will be restricted to the following priorities:
PRIORITY I
- Hyde County/State Requested Resources
- Hyde County Emergency Personnel
- Medical/Clinic
- National Park Service
- Hyde County Employees
- Hyde County School System Employees/Staff
- Code Enforcement Officers/Inspectors
- Department of Transportation
- Power Company
- Hyde County Debris Removal Contractors or Subcontractors
- Hyde County Debris Monitoring Contractor
- Sanitation/Garbage Disposal
- Mail and Parcel
PRIORITY II
- Insurance Adjusters
- Contractors
- Distributors/Suppliers/Vendors
- Volunteers
PRIORITY III
- Hyde County Residents
- Hyde County Non-resident Property Owners
- Hyde County Business Owners and Employees
- Hyde County Temporary Entry Certificate Holders
- Dare County Residents
All contractors, insurance adjusters, and state missions will be validated by Hyde County and a temporary pass will be issued. A list of passes issued will be provided to NCDOT Ferry Division on a continual basis. Individuals that need a temporary pass issued can contact Teresa Adams via email at tadams@hydecountync.gov or by phone during business hours at 252-368-6430.
Individuals seeking entry must have the appropriate Hyde/Dare County issued re-entry tag or a valid North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Ferry Division issued priority pass. Expired Hyde County re-entry tags will be honored as an acceptable means of establishing priority for this event. The Hyde County re-entry tag colors are as follows:
- Emergency Personnel (Red)
- Infrastructure (Yellow)
- Resident (Green)
- Non-Resident Property Owner (White)
If a commuter fails to produce the aforementioned credentials, they will be required to show evidence of residency in Hyde or Dare Counties, Hyde County property ownership, or hold a temporary re-entry pass issued by Hyde County. Please monitor our website at www.hydecountync.gov or our social media outlets for any updates, as this is a rapidly evolving situation.