An Ocracoke Deputy Control Group meeting has been called for Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 2:00 PM. Because of recommended social distancing policies, this meeting will not be conducted at a specified location.
The primary purpose of this conference call is to discuss further emergency protective measures to limit the spread of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).
This meeting is in response to the actions of Dare County and Currituck County restricting access to both visitors and off-island property owners.
Dare County issued this press release:
As part of Dare County’s continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic, non-resident property owners will be prohibited from entering Dare County beginning tonight, Friday, March 20 at 10 p.m. Visitors and non-resident property owners are prohibited from entering Dare County. This decision was made by the Dare County Control Group based on guidelines from the CDC to limit non-essential travel and to decrease the risk of exposure and limit the spread of COVID-19.
VISITOR AND NON-RESIDENT PROPERTY OWNER ACCESS RESTRICTED
- This is not an evacuation order.
- Checkpoints have been established at entry points to Dare County.
- In the interest of health and safety, please keep your window rolled up and place your entry documents against the windows for officers to view.
The Dare County Control Group will continue to meet daily to receive and evaluate updated information and global research regarding this novel virus to make decisions in the best interest of the health and safety of our community. At this time, there is no way to provide a timeline or expected date for lifting access restrictions. When conditions warrant, revisions to the restrictions on travel to Dare County will be implemented.
Currituck's rules are the same as Dare's.
Ever since our neighbor counties enacted these new restrictions against off-island property owners, the Ocracoke coconut telegraph and social media have been abuzz with inquiries about Hyde County following suit. (Mixed metaphor alert!)
Will we, won't we?
We won't know until after 2pm tomorrow what the Control Board recommends to the Board of Commissioners, who make the final decision.
Ocracoke's commissioner, Tom Pahl, is off the island due to a family emergency in Connecticut.
Hyde County manager let me know that the meeting would take place tomorrow. She also added that the BOC could call another emergency meeting (they had one on March 17th, and decided to enact a visitor ban) or they could "survey members by phone for consensus and then act."
The Ocracoke Emergency Control group includes representatives from Hyde County -- county manager Kris Noble and emergency manager Justin Gibbs, sheriff's department, health department; NCDOT Ferry Division -- usually deputy director Jed Dixon; OVFD; Ocracoke Sanitary District (water plant) -- manager David Tolson; National Park Service; USPS -- postmaster Celeste Brooks; Ocracoke Health Center -- director Cheryl Ballance; and Coastal Gas -- Nathan Spencer. Sometimes state emergency management is involved.
Local businesses are represented by Tommy Hutcherson, owner of the Variety Store; David Scott Esham, owner of the Pony Island Motel; Martha Garrish, realtor at Ocracoke Island Realty; and former commissioner Darlene Styron.
There many be some other members; those were on the list the last time I checked. The meetings aren't public. Starting in 2019, before Hurricane Dorian, the Control Group started announcing their meetings before they took place, and releasing a statement afterward even if no decisions were made.