Local Covid-19 News

Smoky Mountain News, by Admin. The Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation to provide valuable Personal Protection Equipment to small business members in need. Pickup a supply of reusable masks for your employees...

The Sylva Herald Last Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced the state would remain in Phase II of his re-opening plan. His office later released these guidelines for halting the spread of COVID-19. Guidance for citizens People must wear face coverings when in public...

The Sylva Herald, By Carey Phillips While the COVID-19 pandemic has put in doubt whether sports, including college football, will be played this fall, Western Carolina’s scheduled season-opener has been moved up two days. The Catamounts are now slated to play at...

The Sylva Herald, By Kelly Morgan Concerts on the Creek are typically held every Friday night from 7-9 p.m. at the Bridge Park in Sylva, from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends. However, the concerts have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 24...

The Sylva Herald Fireworks will thunder and thrill in Sylva at dark (about 9:30 p.m.) Saturday, July 4. The show from Sunrise Park will be visible throughout downtown and the immediate surrounding areas. The fireworks team will shoot a warning shot about 9:15 p.m. so...

The Sylva Herald, By Dave Russell Jackson County COVID-19 cases rose by 44 percent over the over the last week, bringing the county’s total to 115 since two cases were reported April 12. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the Jackson County Department of Public Health reported 115...

The Sylva Herald For the first time since 1974, the joys of mountain culture shared by young and old alike will be missed as Mountain Heritage Day is canceled. Mountain Heritage Day, the annual community and campus celebration of Southern Appalachian culture presented...

Per the EBCI Joint Information Center: “The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Public Health and Human Services Division and Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority are deeply saddend to report the second COVID-19 associated death of a citizen of the Tribe. We would like to...

With last week’s signing of House Bill 158 by Gov. Roy Cooper, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles will be temporarily waiving the requirement that young drivers seeking a Level 2 Limited Provisional license need to undergo a driving test. Those tests have been...

The Sylva Herald, written by Kelly Morgan On June 8, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services released the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit that K-12 public schools will use to guide their COVID-19 precautions for the upcoming school year. The guide...

The Sylva Herald, written by Dave Russell Masks, social distancing, hand-washing and sanitizer will continue to be the “new normal” as the COVID-19 pandemic refuses to go away. It’s getting stronger across the United States, North Carolina and Jackson County. As of 5...

The Sylva Herald Testing and tracing are core public health measures and key components of North Carolina’s strategy to responsibly ease restrictions, while continuing to slow the spread of COVID-19. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jackson County...

North Carolina will remain under Safer At Home Phase 2 of lifting COVID-19 restrictions until at least Friday, July 17. View Phase 2 frequently asked questions (English | Spanish) View public health guidance for Phase 2 View Executive Order 147

North Carolina took early and aggressive action to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our state. These actions prevented our healthcare systems from being overwhelmed and provided valuable time to build our state’s capacity to respond to this crisis. Now, we are seeing...

As trends move in the wrong direction, state will not yet move into Phase 3 Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen today announced that North Carolina will remain in Safer at Home Phase 2 for three more...

Smoky Mountain News, written by Admin Southwestern Community College officials confirmed on June 20 that a student has reported testing positive for COVID-19. It’s the first case involving a student or employee at the college. The student was last at the Jackson...

Smoky Mountain News, Written by Admin Several previously closed facilities along the Blue Ridge Parkway reopened June 13. In Western North Carolina, these include: Mt. Pisgah Picnic Area, Craggy Gardens Visitor Center, Linville Falls Visitor Center and restrooms at...

Smoky Mountain News, written by Admin Several events typically on the fall semester calendar at Western Carolina University are canceled for 2020 as part of significant changes to campus activities necessitated by state and health care professional guidance in...

Concentrating on Statewide Crisis Counseling Program, Adding Focus on Historically Marginalized Communities. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has been awarded $1.5 million to support and expand the Hope4NC program, which connects...

Find out where.... Testing has increased with 16,800 tests per day, on average, for the past week. We now have more than 500 testing locationsacross the state along with several pop-up community testing sites.

Including Assistance for Families Facing Eviction Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced that the state’s Community Action Agencies (CAAs) have begun to receive flexible funds that can be used to help low-income...

Today, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced that child protective services and adult protective services workers are designated as first responders. This classification will help these critical workers access Personal...

Guidance formed through collaborative process with DHHS and School Leaders New health guidelines released Monday represent a first step to help North Carolina K-12 public schools find a safe way to open to in-person instruction for the 2020-21 academic year, health...