This is a running list of the cancellations, delays and other updates from businesses, schools, organizations and more across Chatham County in relation to the spread of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus. The most recent announcements can be found at the top of the article.
CCCC extends spring break by a week, will keep students updated
Central Carolina Community College, which has three campuses in Chatham County, has extended its spring break by a week in response to "the seriousness of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) global pandemic." A press release from CCCC said the extension has been made to "help mitigate the spread of Coronavirus while also allowing CCCC faculty the necessary time to transition some coursework to an online format."
Chatham Public Libraries announce 'need to know' protocols
The Chatham County Public Libraries system announced some "need to know" items Friday, March 13, in response to the COVID-19 situation:
Chatham Habitat says it's keeping volunteering open
Chatham Habitat for Humanity said Friday, March 13, that it was going to continue allowing volunteers on job sites and in its ReStores, and that operations and donation pick-ups at the latter would continue.
"We must also acknowledge that, while the economic repercussions of this unprecedented event are still unknown, public health crises like these have an outsized effect on our most vulnerable populations," an email from Chatham Habitat stated. "We serve families who work in retail, food service, medicine and more. Our homeowners may be adversely affected, and we will work to support them in whatever ways we can."
Council on Aging announces changes due to COVID-19
The Chatham County Council on Aging has made several changes to its operations as part of responding to COVID-19.
“We are especially concerned about the well-being of Chatham seniors, their families and our volunteers,” Dennis Streets, director of the COA, said in a county press release. “The actions we are taking are designed to protect the health of all–especially those at high risk of serious illness—and are consistent with the recommendations coming from the science and medical communities.”
Among the changes:
The Council recommends, though, that seniors follow the guidance from geriatric experts and cancel non-essential appointments. If a person is not feeling well, they should call their health provider for guidance before scheduling a medical ride.
“We wish none of these steps were necessary and hopefully we can soon restore these valued services and programs,” Streets said. “In the meantime, we appeal to friends, neighbors and family to touch base by phone with those who are isolated, and help with shopping and other needs—all the while using the good public health practices that have been well publicized such as frequent hand washing.”
Town of Siler City cancels town employee travel, asks sick citizens to not visit City Hall
The Town of Siler City announced Friday afternoon that it was making some changes to its operations:
Additionally, the release stated: "Mayor John Grimes has asked for the health and safety of our visitors and staff, if you are sick, please do not visit City Hall."
The Town also shared information on paying water bills without visiting City Hall:
Processing Fees will be waived or credited on your next bill until further notice
Pay Online: www.silercity.org then click Pay Water Bill Online
Call: 1-800-272-9829; Jurisdiction Code 4334
Drop Off: Two convenient mailboxes are located on outside of building: Downstairs next to the License Plate Agency entrance and drive-thru drop next to building.
Sign Up for Draft on the Town website: www.silercity.org.
Saturday's SAT at Jordan-Matthews cancelled
A day after the Chatham County Board of Education cancelled all after-school activities on campus, Jordan-Matthews High School announced Friday afternoon on its Twitter that the SAT scheduled for Saturday, March 14, was nixed as well.
"There is no rescheduled makeup at this time," the tweet said. "We will keep you posted with any additional information regarding future site-administrations."
N.C. Beer Fest at Fearrington postponed until July 26
The Shops at Fearrington announced Friday that it was postponing the N.C. Beer Fest at Fearrington until July 26. The event was scheduled for Sunday, March 29, "in light of North Carolina’s emergency declaration regarding large gatherings," according to a post on the Fearrington website.
"This is such a fun celebration and we hate to do it," the post stated, "but the safety of our guests and our staff is the top priority."
Library cancels event with NC Poet Laureate
The Chatham Community Library is no longer hosting the March 21 event with N.C. Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green. The event, "Culture and Personal Experience Inform a Writer's Work," was scheduled for 1 p.m. on that Saturday in the Holmes Meeting Room at the CCL in Pittsboro.
Rita Van Duinen, branch manager at CCL, said the Library "isn’t cancelling any programming or events, but leaving that decision up to individual presenters."
Chatham Ag Fest cancelled
Debbie Roos of the Chatham County Cooperative Extension told the News + Record Friday morning that the 3rd Annual Spring Ag Fest scheduled for Saturday, March 28 has been cancelled. Roos cited the spread of COVID-19 as the reason for the decision, and added that as of now there are no plans for rescheduling.
"In this climate, it is difficult to schedule anything for the time being," she said.
A follow-up email from Roos said this: "This decision has been made out of an abundance of caution given public concerns about the coronavirus and our desire to safeguard our community members. We do advocate that individuals follow precautions set forth by local, state, and federal health officials to protect their health and that of those around them. For additional information, please visit the Chatham County Coronavirus Resource Page at https://www.chathamnc.org/services/health/coronavirus/."
Chatham GOP postpones annual convention
The Chatham County Republican Party announced on Facebook Thursday night that it was postponing its 2020 county Convention "out of concern for the health of our Republican voters in Chatham County.
The post added that the local party was conferring with the state party about rescheduling.
CCS cancels after-school events, limits visitors and volunteers
Chatham County Schools has cancelled all field trips and after-school activities, including sports, and will prohibit access by visitors and volunteers to schools “except those deemed by the school principals as essential.”
During an emergency meeting of the Chatham County Board of Education Thursday evening, CCS Superintendent Derrick Jordan said guidance from state government and health department officials helped guide the district.
“The guidance was basically around restricting non-essential travel, eliminating or reducing social interactions in the way of athletic events, concerts, etc.," Jordan said. "It is currently still the recommendation from the state that schools not close preemptively. Staff will continue to meet with the appropriate local officials as we have been doing. We’re trying to work proactively to put in place whatever would be required to respond in the manner in which the local health department recommends.”
No plans were put in place in terms of school cancellation, but Jordan and other district staff said they were beginning to explore possibilities for distance and online learning.
"There are large sections of our district that do not have access to the internet," Jordan said. "What we have done is identified potential virtual learning opportunities. We are also looking at traditional packets, should the decision be made to close school. There’s not a magic bullet.”
NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships, including March Madness
Not really Chatham-related, but still big news: the NCAA has cancelled all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships, including the ever-popular men's and women's basketball tournaments which were slated to start in the coming weeks.
"The decision in based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat," a statement posted on Twitter said, "our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities."
Both UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke had announced they were cancelling all athletic events for the forseeable future due to COVID-19.
NC UMC Conference 'urges churches to cease public worship for two weeks'
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, the head of the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, has posted a statement "urg(ing)" all UMC churches to have no public gatherings over the next two weeks "in order to protect your church family and the community in which you live and serve."
"Public health leaders help us realize that we are on the cusp of a significant increase in the contagious virus," Ward wrote. "Social distancing is the most effective means of slowing the spread of the disease."
Chatham is home to multiple churches in the North Carolina Conference of the UMC.
Carolina Tiger Rescue has 'no plans to close'
Carolina Tiger Rescue, a nonprofit animal sanctuary in Pittsboro, announced Thursday afternoon that it did not plan to shut down in response to COVID-19.
"At this time there are no plans to close or change our operating hours," a post on the organization's Twitter stated. "This is a rapidly evolving situation and we will follow any necessary precautions and guidelines from the CDC and local and state government."
The post added that CTR has "proactively enhanced (its) cleaning and disinfectant efforts."
Chatham County commissioners streamline Monday meeting
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will have no workshop and abbreviate its normal monthly meeting scheduled for Monday, March 16.
The commissioners, who normally hold an afternoon workshop ahead of their regular 6 p.m. meetings on the third Monday of every month, will push all scheduled public hearings to their April 20 meeting and only have a public hearing on two items related to Williams Corner, a proposed development in northeast Chatham.
An announcement from the county government about the change said the decision was made "in an effort to heed the Governor’s recommendations on large gatherings."
In a press release March 10 announcing a state of emergency declared for North Carolina, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services recommended "that organizers of mass gathering events that primarily draw high-risk persons, including those that attract older adults, should consider cancelling or postponing these events."
NCHSAA suspends all prep athletic activities until April 6
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has announced it will postpone the rest of the boys and girls state basketball championships "indefinitely" and suspend all other athletic events — including practices and games — starting at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 13 until Monday, April 6.
"As much as we would like this opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches and their communities, we know that ultimately any decision we make must err on the side of caution," NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker said in a statement posted on the organization's Twitter.
Hispanic Liaison's Legal Fair postponed indefinitely
In an email blast, Hispanic Liasion Executive Director Illana Dubester announced that the organization was postponing its 2020 Legal Fair "until further notice."
"Yesterday, Governor Cooper declared of a state of emergency due to Corvid-19, and recommended against large public gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus," the email stated. "Out of concern for the health of our entire community, The Hispanic Liaison has decided to postpone our Legal Fair 2020 until further notice. If possible, we will reschedule the Legal Fair for a later date, depending on the continued threat of the virus and the availability of Jordan Mathews’ High School, the site of our event. We’ll keep you informed via email, Facebook and website."
The event had been scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City.
Pittsboro library cancels annual book sale
According to the Chatham County Public Library's Twitter account, the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale, scheduled from April 2-4, has been cancelled "due to concerns surrounding the spread of #COVID_19." Book donations are not being accepted.
CCCC cancels ribbon-cutting for Chatham Health Sciences Center
Central Carolina Community College was scheduled to debut its brand new Chatham Health Sciences Center on Thursday, but canceled the event due to coronavirus concerns.
CORA cancels Miles for Meals event
CORA's website stated this week that the organization woud be cancelling its annual Miles for Meals 5K and Fun Walk, scheduled for March 29.
"Like many across the State of North Carolina, CORA has been monitoring the situation involving COVID-19, the coronavirus," the website stated. "Our top priority is the well-being of our community the health and safety of those attending our events. While the risk in Chatham County remains low, this situation is changing very quickly and there is much uncertainty."
Event registrants will be contacted about refunds, the organization says.
Shakori Hills Festival still slated to go on May 7-10
The organizers of the popular Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance announced on its blog Tuesday that the event was still scheduled to run as planned from May 7-10.
"Like many others, we are taking guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization, the State of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and other state and local resources," the blog post stated. "The health and safety of our festival attendees, volunteers, performers, and staff has always, and will continue to be, our highest priority. We will be working with the Chatham County Health Department and other local and statewide officials to make decisions that are in the best interest of our festival family."
In the event of cancelation, the post added, "any and all Spring 2020 tickets will be honored at your choice of the Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 festival."
Tobacco Road Marathon cancelled
An annual race through the American Tobacco Trail in Cary scheduled for Sunday, March 15, the Tobacco Road Marathon has been cancelled.
"We have decided to cancel Sunday's marathon and half-marathon," organizers stated on Twitter. "Please follow us on social media or on our website for details. Please be patient with us as we determine next steps. These are unprecedented events. Runners will receive an email within the next 24 hours with details and next steps."