Curfew, closed borders part of new coronavirus protocol
A new set of ordinances put in place hopes to keep the coronavirus pandemic from affecting any Graham County residents.
In a span of four days, local officials made the difficult call to implement a nightly curfew, limit access to the county at its borders and shut down accommodation establishments.
The wheels were set in motion during the March 17 meeting of the Graham County Board of Commissioners. During the teleconference, Chairman Dale Wiggins pitched the idea of declaring a State of Emergency, which would give local government officials the ability to establish certain protocols that might help keep the illness out of the county.
The announcement of an Emergency Management Committee came on March 18, before the State of Emergency was officially declared Friday.
“The outpouring of initiatives from the government, business, non-profit and faith communities has been inspirational,” the official declaration reads. “We have no doubt the bonds we are building will remain long after COVID-19 disappears.”
A countywide curfew was enacted Friday evening, which prohibits all non-work related movement within Graham County between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Anyone found in violation will be stopped by law enforcement officials and could be subjected to citations and/or fines.
Only emergency first responders and those who must move within the county because of work commitments are exempt from the curfew. Gas stations and convenience stores will be operational during the curfew as well.
Saturday brought forth the closure of county borders, which will go into effect Friday. The Cherohala Skyway will be closed, while U.S. 129 and N.C. 28 is restricted to only local resident traffic and commercial traffic.
U.S. 129 at Topton will fall under the same guidelines, with the added caveat that detour traffic can use the road while the Nantahala Gorge is closed. Once it is re-opened, the road will resort to the guidelines for the U.S. 28/129 corridor.
The announcement Saturday also foretold the closure of all accommodation businesses by noon Monday. Any Graham County hotels, motels, cabins, bed and breakfasts, campgrounds and short-term rentals were effected except for the Quality Inn, which is housing N.C. Department of Transportation workers.
“We understand that this decision will impact a lot of people,” Wiggins said in a Facebook post Saturday. “It will cause people to be temporarily laid off from work. We will post information on how to file for unemployment benefits on the Graham County website.
“We accept that these are drastic steps to some degree, but we have to do what is necessary to keep people safe. The president of the United States has asked everyone to stay home and eliminate unnecessary travel. We support that decision.”
However, those decisions were met by some criticism, as uncertainty for what lies ahead seemed to spearhead much of the backlash over the closure of businesses and borders. According to AccessNC.com, about 32 percent of Graham County residents commute to jobs beyond its borders.
Wiggins later took to his personal Facebook account over the weekend to defend the decisions of the emergency committee.
“We may look like idiots and fools when this is over, and no one gets sick. I’m OK with that if it happens,” Wiggins said. “We have 8,900 or so full-time residents. We have no medical facilities that can treat you for coronavirus. ‘0.’
“Graham County citizens will be competing for a hospital bed with every county in western North Carolina. I do not take this matter lightly. Some people following this news have called us communists (they have no idea what a communist is) and worse.
“Our state and federal governments tell us minimize the risk. Reduce person to person contact. That is what we are trying to do, and are trying not to disrupt anyone’s life more than we have to.”
Non-residents wishing to travel into Graham County got a solution Monday, as government officials announced a process in which free permits could be applied for.
Out-of-county employees with jobs in the county, non-residential property owners – plus vendors, contractors, subcontractors and farmers – can apply at
grahamcounty.org/coronavirus-information. The county would then issue a green permit to sit on the dashboard, expediting the check-in process as they enter the county.
The Graham County Tax Collector’s office will be processing the permits.