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ASHEVILLE - Buncombe County has declared a local state of emergency in response to the global spread of new coronavirus COVID-19.

The county's board of commissioners was scheduled to consider the measure at its March 17 meeting, but board Chairman Brownie Newman said the morning of March 12 he had decided to take action sooner. He signed the declaration at the county's 2:30 p.m. media briefing on behalf of the entire board.

"I do have the authority to do it as commission chair," Newman told the Citizen Times that morning. "I think we just want to be sending the message to the community that this is a very important health concern, there are definite things that individuals, businesses, local governments can do to reduce the risk of the spread of it.

"We want people to be taking all those reasonable steps now. We don't want to send the message that it's not something people should be very conscious of going forward."

The declaration makes Buncombe eligible for state and federal resources that may be made available to communities to address the coronavirus, according to Newman. It enables all units of government in Buncombe too work together in the response.

Commissioners still to vote on virus-related budget amendment

County management proposed the declaration of a local state of emergency "to ensure that COVID-19 remains controlled and that residents and visitors in Buncombe County remain safe and secure," a county memo states.

More on the local COVID-19 response:

County staff also suggested a budget amendment that would allow the county to allocate $250,000 from its fund balance for public health and human services costs "in the event of necessary expenditures."

Newman said commissioners will vote on the amendment March 17.

COVID-19: A global pandemic, tests out from WNC

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic March 11, as the WHO director general announced more than 100,000 cases of the respiratory illness in over 100 countries. The WHO reported early this month that the death rate for the virus was 3.4%.

More:Where is the coronavirus? Interactive maps track cases across North Carolina and beyond

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on March 10, activating the Emergency Operations Center, which will help agencies coordinate their responses, according to a press release from Cooper's office.

A state of emergency also allows the state government to protect consumers from price gouging, increases county health departments' access to state funds and makes it easier to purchase essential medical supplies, the release said.

As of the afternoon of March 12, no confirmed cases of the virus had been reported in Buncombe County. During the county's media briefing, medical director Dr. Jennifer Mullendore said there are COVID-19 tests from WNC pending, but none had been returned with a presumed positive result.

Statewide, a total of 14 people had tested positive for COVID-19 as of that afternoon, according to a release from the Department of Health and Human Services and announcements from the Mecklenburg County Public Health Department.

Four of the five recently identified cases are a Forsyth County couple, a Johnston County resident and a Durham resident who tested positive in another state, the release said.

The fifth and sixth cases are in Mecklenburg County, according to the County's Department of Public Health.

Recommendations from officials

Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said at a press conference that people at high risk — those over the age of 65 or with underlying health conditions — should avoid large gatherings as much as possible, including church services, concerts and sporting events.

In general, public officials have urged the public to take preventative measures similar to those taken to prevent the spread of the flu: wash hands for 20 seconds, including the top and bottom of hands and between fingers; cover coughs and sneezes; practice social distancing; try not to touch your own face and sanitize regularly touched surfaces.

If you think you have COVID-19, officials advise that you first call your doctor. If you do not have a doctor, call the Buncombe health department's communicable disease line at 828-250-5109.

Mackenzie Wicker covers Buncombe County for the Asheville Citizen Times. You can reach her at mwicker@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter @MackWick.

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