Local Covid-19 News

The Sylva Herald, by Patric Clemons With Halloween just around the corner, parents might be concerned about their children’s safety during these unprecedented times. Some local organizations are putting on trick-or-treat in a safe, socially distanced environment for...

The Sylva Herald, by Dave Russell Jackson County’s reported COVID-19 cases jumped by a record-high 40 on Friday, 29 on Monday and 39 Tuesday, according to the health department. The county currently has 108 people isolating due to COVID-19 infection, the most since...

The Sylva Herald, by Dave Russell COVID-19 has severely impacted the custodial staff at Smoky Mountain High School. Of an eight-person staff, Assistant Superintendent Jake Buchanan reports one positive case and five custodians isolating due to exposure to the victim....

North Carolina today submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention its COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. The goal of the plan is to immunize everyone who is eligible for and wants a COVID-19 vaccine. "Leaders from across sectors came together under tight...

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting the state’s highest one-day increase of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases to date with 2,684 new cases reported. The department is also reporting the second highest number of hospitalizations in...

More than 100,000 people have downloaded SlowCOVIDNC, the official exposure notification app of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. SlowCOVIDNC alerts users when they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The...

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is providing guidelines for voters and local polling locations to help protect the health of North Carolinians during the voting process. In addition, NCDHHS and the NC Department of Public Safety Division of...

Confirmed Cases at Western NC New Positive Cases - October 16 (# of new positive cases made known to the University as confirmed through university testing, surveillance testing, and self-reporting over past 24 hours or 72 hours for weekend case counts reported on...

The Sylva Herald, by Dave Russell Western Carolina University reported 30 new cases of COVID-19 over the last week. The bump contributed to a 7.6 percent increase in Jackson County from last week. The county currently has 66 people isolating due to COVID-19 infection....

Smoky Mountain News, written by Holly Kayes The Sylva Town Board has voted unanimously this evening to cancel this year’s Christmas Parade, citing coronavirus concerns. “Having our traditional Christmas parade is not something that’s good for public health,” said...

Office of Pandemic Recovery has distributed 75% of CRF funds as of September 21 North Carolina has distributed over $2.6 billion in coronavirus relief funds as of September 21 and continues to work to administer remaining funds in coordination with federal...

NC DHHS North Carolina will ease cautiously some restrictions while continuing safety measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 as the state’s metrics remained stable in September, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. “Our top priority remains getting children back to...

The Sylva Herald, by Dave Russell Total Jackson County COVID-19 cases rose by 28 over the last week. The county currently has 21 people isolating due to COVID-19 infection. That’s down from 30 last week. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the health department reported 669 cases...

Smoky Mountain News, written by Holly Kays A new grant program approved by a unanimous vote from the Sylva Board of Commissioners Sept. 24 will allocate $20,000 to help nonprofit organizations better serve Sylva residents during the pandemic. “We tried to keep it very...

The Sylva Herald, by Beth Lawrence Jackson County commissioners voted unanimously to allow the health department to temporarily suspend fees for flu shots as a measure to help meet the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health officials nationwide are worried that a...

The Sylva Herald, by Dave Russell The Jackson County Board of Education voted Tuesday to send pre-K-5th grade students to school four days a week. The board decided to move those students from Plan B to Plan A starting Oct. 5, with in-person teaching every day except...

The Sylva Herald, by Patrick Clemon Like many other facets of life in 2020, COVID-19 is affecting various N.C. Department of Transportation projects, including R-5600. The project to reshape Sylva’s commercial corridor has been postponed from fiscal year 2022 to 2025....

The Sylva Herald, by Dave Russell New cases of COVID-19 declined for three weeks, but the Jackson County Department of Public Health reports a slight uptick this week. On Monday, the agency reported 13 new cases, the most in a single day since Aug. 31. Another four...

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced nearly $40 million in funding for NC Student Connect, a new partnership created to address internet connectivity gaps that are a barrier to remote learning for many North Carolina students. When school resumed in August,...

Plan A Now Available for Public Elementary Schools Governor Roy Cooper yesterday announced that after several weeks of stable COVID-19 trends and continued low virus spread in school settings, North Carolina public school districts and charter schools can choose to...

The Sylva Herald, By Dave Russell Jackson County COVID-19 cases continue to climb, but the rate of the growth has slowed. From a peak of 29 cases reported on July 21, five were reported to the Jackson County Department of Public Health on Tuesday. The county currently...

Smoky Mountain News, written by Admin The Southwestern Commission Council of Governments is pleased to announce the availability of low interest loans for small businesses and entrepreneurs adversely affected by COVID-19. Loans are available to qualifying applicants...

Smoky Mountain News, Written by Admin The Jackson County Board of Education voted to proceed with Phase 2 of the district’s reentry plan at their work session on Sept. 1.  Interim Superintendent Dr. Tony Tipton recommended the change that allows students to return to...

The Sylva Herald, by Jim Buchanan The grind of dealing with a significant uptick in food need during the coronavirus crisis has led Sylva’s Community Table to take a short break to regroup and prepare for increased needs in coming months. Paige Christie, the...

The Sylva Herald, By Dave Russell Jackson County COVID-19 cases rose by 9.6 percent over the last week. That’s down from an almost 40 percent jump a month ago but up from a 3 percent increase last week. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the Jackson County Department of Public...