A state of emergency stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and declared in Lee County on March 16, 2020 ended Monday.
Lee County Commissioners’ Chairman Kirk Smith signed a declaration terminating the emergency, meaning, according to a press release, that “the Lee County Health Department will cease providing a daily situation report, reports of COVID-19 deaths, and weekly COVID-19 case status updates.”
The release encourages “interested parties” to utilize the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services COVID dashboard for up to date information on cases in Lee County.
Additionally, the county will no longer request that visitors wear masks or social distance while in county facilities “except where required under Executive Order 215 that includes but is not limited to the county jail and county health clinic.”
The county’s move follows Sanford Mayor Chet Mann’s lifting on Friday of multiple city restrictions related to the pandemic.
I have noticed that since the CDC made it’s most recent announcement several grocery stores and gas stations have let cleanliness, that seemed to make sense as just a normal business practice, go away. It is disappointing to see the bathrooms,counters, and self checkouts are no longer being wiped down and kept clean like they were during the strict COVID policies. Just because COVID is on the decline and people are getting vaccinated, doesn’t mean let everything go to crap. Maintaining general cleanliness is actually a good business practice and shouldn’t just stop. I hope people start telling these businesses that they are letting their cleaning standards go to crap and it is disgusting.
I’ll never understand this ‘all or nothing’ mentality of local governments. Especially considering the same people are insistent that schools re-open. As a pediatrician, I’ve had so many kids come into my office anxious to return to schools and it isn’t just going to disappear with the mask mandates.