Coronavirus clampdown: Disease spreads to area

    Murphy – Five people in Cherokee County have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Monday afternoon, and much of the community is on edge after the first case attended a contra dance and infected at least one person at John C. Campbell Folk School before showing signs of illness.
    The Cherokee County Health Department issued a release late March 18 announcing that an individual tested positive for COVID-19 in Cherokee County, but it would be recorded as a New York case since she is a resident there. She attended the March 10 dance at the folk school.
    Jerry Jackson, director of the folk school, referred to the individual as a “visitor to Brasstown.”
    “The spread of the coronavirus is a new reality for our community and the world,” Jackson said. “The announcement of the confirmed COVID-19 case has obviously elevated fears and emotions within the community. This is an understandable response, as we are all experiencing an uncharted situation. As a community, we must remain strong and work together to support our families, friends and neighbors.”
    He asked the community to follow one of the folk school’s values: “Kindness: We treat everyone with respect, humility and warmth.”
    The folk school said about 90 students and local residents attended the contra and square dance on March 10. The folk school suspended all classes and events on March 13, a day ahead of the state’s ban on gatherings of 100 people or more. It was also practicing safety procedures to prevent spread of the disease.
    Three additional cases reported late Friday night were household contacts of the New York resident – two were Cherokee County residents, while the other was an Illinois resident. All three have been in isolation in a Cherokee County private residence with the New York resident since she was tested, and they were in isolation before showing symptoms. The Illinois patient, like the New York patient, will not officially be counted as a Cherokee County case.
    The health department said contact tracing was not needed on these three cases as they had “little to no opportunity to spread the virus” while in isolation. The health department is working to trace contacts on the other local resident at the dance who reported testing positive Friday night. The resident has been in isolation in their home since being tested.
    Health Director David Badger said all five were at the contra dance. The patients were doing well in isolation, as far as he knew, but he could not reveal any more information about each individual’s health or when each was initially tested. He also could not provide any other identifying information about the individuals, including their ages or where they were staying in isolation in the county, due to federal privacy laws.
    Badger praised the state for investing in its Laboratory of Public Health so it could provide test results quickly. He said there are a lot of factors involved on how quickly results are returned, and commercial labs may take longer since they are receiving tests nationwide.
    He said local residents should “continue to be vigilant and be aware of the signs and symptoms.” He asked that they not put themselves and others at risk. They should limit exposure by washing their hands, using hand sanitizer, staying away from those who are sick and staying home if they are feeling sick.
    Badger added that this case was travel-related, and the person did not have symptoms before traveling. He said health department staff is following up with the individuals daily, making sure all their needs are meet. So far, community assistance outside the health department is not needed, but if that changes he will reach out for help.
    Badger said the health department was working to identify the individual’s close contacts, and they were still developing a list of contacts Friday morning. For close contacts, the department looks for people the person had prolonged contact with – closer than 6 feet for 10 minutes or longer.
    The folk school was also in the process of notifying anyone who may have come in contact with the individual.
    Badger said anyone who is found to be in close contact is evaluated for symptoms. If they have symptoms, the health department follows up with testing. If there are no symptoms, the individual is asked to self-monitor for symptoms.
    “The key is everybody has to be aware of the symptoms,” he said.
    According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, symptoms are fever, cough and shortness of breath. The symptoms appear 2-14 days after exposure, with illnesses ranging from mild to severe.
    The folk school decided to suspend all activities to protect the health of the community until April 18 on March 13, after the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services recommended that gatherings of 100 people or more be canceled or postponed. The folk school said more than 100 students come to campus each session, and public events draw 100 people or more.
    John C. Campbell was one of the first craft schools to cancel classes and events, Jackson said. As of Saturday, the folk school has suspended all activities until further notice.
    Badger said if the individual had close contact with anyone in any other public places, it would have been on a release. They look at the prolonged exposure to the individual, adding that passing by someone in the grocery store is not considered, yet sitting with someone at a coffee shop is.
    “It’s that closeness and duration that’s so important,” he said. “That’s why social distancing is so important.”
    Those who become ill with a respiratory-type illness are advised by the health department to isolate until seven days have passed, 72 hours without a fever.
    Another New York state resident tested positive for the virus in Buncombe County and was in isolation in their private home in Macon County, the Macon County Public Health Department said on March 16.
    Badger said it does not concern him that both New York and Illinois residents will not show up as cases on North Carolina maps, as communicable disease reporting is always treated in this way.
    “It would concern me more if we weren’t reporting it to citizens,” he said.
    He did not know why the state map was reporting four cases in Cherokee County on Monday afternoon.
    As of Monday afternoon, there were 297 cases in North Carolina. On Thursday, state officials announced the state’s first case of community spread – a case where there’s no known link to cause the illness – in Wilson County.