Ashe CountyCoronavirus/COVID-19News

AppHealthCare: Health Officials Urge Caution During Holiday Weekend

Last Updated on July 2, 2020 2:54 pm

[Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga Counties, NC] – With the upcoming July 4th Holiday weekend, we urge the community to remain vigilant and cautious to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We realize this is an important time to celebrate our country’s independence with family and friends, but it is so important to remember the virus has more opportunity to spread when we don’t take precautions. The actions we all take can help reduce the impact COVID-19 has in our communities.

COVID-19 spreads through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes and is most commonly spread between people who are in close contact with one another. This means that a large gathering like parties or other events, especially where people are not practicing physical distance or wearing a face covering, the virus is more likely to spread.

“We have seen increases in our cases in the past two weeks that are related to travel history and social gatherings. We have to remain vigilant in our actions to control the spread of this virus. Let’s all take actions to show our love by protecting the community we love this holiday.  Even if you believe you are at lower risk, we need your help to protect others in our community who are at higher risk for severe illness,” said Jennifer Greene, Health Director.

This holiday weekend, we encourage everyone to show your love and follow the 3Ws – wear a cloth face covering, wait 6 feet from others and wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer. If you make holiday plans, make sure they include the 3Ws and avoid gatherings of 10 or more indoors and 25 or more outdoors. If you are sick or believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, please stay home and if you are at a higher risk for severe illness, we encourage you to consider your risk before participating in gatherings.

How to Protect Yourself

There are actions we can all take to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. Show Your Love for yourself and others by following the 3Ws when you leave your home – wear a cloth face covering, wash your hands and wait 6 feet from others.

●        Wear a cloth face covering

●        Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer

●        Wait at least 6 feet from others

●        Stay home when you’re sick

●        Keep distance from others who are sick

●        Avoid touching your face

●        Avoid crowded areas

●        Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces in common areas like doorknobs, remotes, lightswitches, tables and handles.

Our COVID-19 call center is available to take COVID-19 related calls during regular business hours – (828) 795-1970 and you can also email questions to preparedness@apphealth.com.

AppHealthCare is available and on-call 24/7 to respond to public health emergencies. To reach us, call Watauga (828) 264-4995, Ashe (336) 246-9449, Alleghany (336) 372-5641 anytime and follow the prompts. For more information, visit www.AppHealthCare.com and follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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