COVID-19 Updates: August, 13 2020 |
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Voting Safely in the 2020 Election! |
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Make sure you make your voice heard and your vote count in the 2020 election!
Virtual GoToMeeting Event Learn how to: - Vote by Mail
- Complete an Absentee Ballot Request Form
- Complete an Absentee Ballot
- Check your Voter Registration
- Find your Sample Ballot
- Share Voter Tools with Eligible Voters
When? - Thursday, August 13 from 4pm-5:15pm
Join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. - www.orangecountync.gov/VotingSafely
- United States: +(872) 240-3112
- Access Code: 127-828-013
Absentee Voting By MailOrange County offers absentee voting by mail to all registered Orange County voters who wish to vote by mail rather than at a one-stop early voting site or on Election Day. All by-mail civilian absentee ballot requests must be submitted on the State Absentee Ballot Request form and must be signed by the voter or a near relative who is making a request on behalf of a voter. Please read the instructions on the form carefully. Your request may be mailed, emailed ( vote@orangecountync.gov), faxed (919-644-3318) or hand delivered to our office. We are currently accepting requests for absentee ballots for the November 3, 2020 General Election and encourage you to send your request early. Uniformed & Overseas CitizensFor rules and procedures regarding military and overseas voters, please go to the Federal Voting Assistance Program website.Early VotingInterested in voting at an early voting site in Orange County? Please visit our Early Voting page.For more information, regarding voting in Orange County (eligibility, deadlines, voting sites, etc,. please visit the links below: |
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Complete the 2020 Census
If you haven’t already responded to the Census, time is running out. The 2020 Census has been shortened and now ends on Sept. 30.
Approximately 4 million North Carolinians still need to be counted or we risk losing an estimated $74 billion over the next decade.
Respond TODAY at my2020census.gov or 844-330-2020. Responding to the Census is safe, easy and important for our state’s future. Census workers started going door to door on Aug. 11. You can avoid their knock on your door by responding now online, by phone, or by mail.
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Orange County conducting COVID-19
Economic Impact Assessment Survey
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Orange County has partnered with nearly 150 community stakeholders and the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough to begin planning for a post-COVID 19 recovery. One of the most important aspects of this planning work is determining how the county’s local economy will survive and emerge even more vibrant, diverse and resilient than it was prior to the pandemic.
The first step in that planning effort is to assess the extent of the damage through an Economic Impact Assessment survey. Unlike damage caused by other types of disasters like a hurricane or flooding, the impacts of the pandemic are not as easily identifiable making the survey vitally important to recovery planning.
The information collected will be used to help quantify the economic impact from COVID-19 and help to inform and prioritize strategies for economic recovery. Results will also help the county understand where federal or state support may be most critical and how to direct financial or technical assistance to local businesses.
The online survey will be live through the end of August and includes questions about business impacts caused by the pandemic, including job and revenue losses and resources businesses may need to succeed. Click the link below to access the survey.
The survey is part of the county’s agreement with Hagerty Consulting, Inc., to provide long-term disaster recovery planning services. Hagerty Consulting is an emergency management consulting firm that helps clients prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Established in 2001, Hagerty has supported over 400 projects federally and in over 40 states and US territories.
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Healthy Homes and COVID-19:
How to keep yourself and your children safe and healthy
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By Krishnaveni Balakrishnan, MPH. (August 12, 2020)
Due to COVID-19, many of us are still inside our homes much more often than we would have been prior to the pandemic. This new normal isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, with the busyness of day-to-day life tasks, families might not be thinking about potential environmental health triggers in their homes. There are also families who are aware of these triggers, but due to the lack of access to affordable and safe housing in this country, many have very limited options, and live in substandard conditions that can detrimentally affect their health.
Environmental health triggers include dust mites, secondhand smoke, mold, pests, and even items like scented candles. Additionally, for parents who have children with asthma, these environmental triggers can exacerbate respiratory symptoms.
What is Healthy Homes?
Healthy Homes incorporates practices to promote sanitary conditions and prevent injuries in the home. This includes addressing potential lead poisoning risks, reducing asthma triggers, and preventing unintentional injuries. Many Healthy Homes practices, such as using green cleaning methods to sanitize and disinfect, can also be used to lower the transmission of COVID-19.As part of our Healthy Homes program at Orange County Health Department, we provide families with green cleaning kits, in addition to health education and local resource information. The kits includes items like castile soap, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda, along with other items. Our program serves any family in Orange County who has a child with asthma between the age of 0-18.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends using soap and water as a means to clean surfaces, and then disinfecting the area afterwards.- Cleaning with soap and water reduces number of germs, dirt and impurities on the surface.
- Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces.
An example would be to take a washcloth with a spray bottle that contains a soap and water mixture, wiping down the surface, and following up with a disinfectant, such as hydrogen peroxide. Let the disinfectant sit for as long as the product label instructs (or if not, at least 5-10 minutes), and then proceed to wipe it up.How do I keep my child safe when they return to college?
For parents that are sending their children back to college this fall, here are some ideas for a green cleaning kit to provide them with:- Small bucket or large spray bottle*
- Hydrogen peroxide*
- Bottle of castile soap*
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- Lemon juice
- Microfiber cloth, sponge, or washcloth*
The items marked with an asterisk are essential. The other items can be useful for cleaning, but to disinfect, the essential items are needed.
With the lack of availability of disinfectant due to the pandemic, many of the items above can be found at your local grocery or retail store. |
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Recipes for green cleaning can be found below: For more information, please visit the NC Healthy Homes webpage.To learn more about Orange County Health Department’s Healthy Homes program, please visit our webpage.You can also contact our Healthy Homes Coordinator, Krishnaveni Balakrishnan with any questions you may have: |
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Educate Yourself: Online Racial Equity Workshops |
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Let's be better, together, by standing for an equitable society and with those fighting for justice for the Black community. Use this time for learning, listening, engaging in the discourse, and doing better as individuals and as a country. Donate to organizations fighting for racial equality, participate in protests or rallies, and educate yourself on systemic and learned racism. These online events will help you learn more and provide a platform for conversations on racial injustices and inequality.
For more information, please visit Educate Yourself: Online Racial Equity Workshops |
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This is a free class being held virtually where individuals will receive FREE Nicotine Replacement Products, cessation education, counseling and group support.
It is a 1-hour class held for 4 consecutive weeks to assist individuals in their efforts to stop smoking.
Class dates and times: - Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020 (6pm-7pm)
- Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020 (6pm-7pm)
- Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 (6pm-7pm)
- Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020 (6pm-7pm)
To register, please contact Rita Krosner at (919) 245-2480 or email smokefreeoc@orangecountync.gov |
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North Carolina COVID-19 Cases
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 140,824 COVID-19 cases, 2,287 deaths, and 1,070 hospitalizations, as of August 13, 2020. For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every day at noon), please visit the NCDHHS website.
Orange County Health Department also has a COVID-19 dashboard webpage, with information on COVID-19 data in the county. The dashboard will be updated every Tuesday and Thursday.
There are currently 1,389 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Orange County, and 48 deaths.
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COVID-19 Community Resources
For more information on COVID-19 community resources in the county, please visit our webpage. Resources on specific topic areas, such as food access, education, housing, and others, are all accessible on our website, or at the links below. |
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