NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority contained in Chapter 21, Buncombe County Code of
Ordinances and Article 1A of the N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 166A, the Board of Commissioners, do hereby
declare and order the following:
1. This Order takes effect at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2020 and will continue through 6:00
a.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2020, subject to the limited exceptions and under the terms and
conditions more particularly set forth below;
2. All individuals currently living within Buncombe County are ordered to stay at their place of
residence. For the purposes of this Order, residences include hotels, motels, shared rentals, and
similar facilities. To the extent individuals are using shared or outdoor spaces, they must at all
times as reasonably as possible maintain social distancing of at least six feet from any other
person when they are outside their residence. All persons may leave their residences only for
Essential Activities, or to provide or perform Essential Governmental Functions, or to operate
Essential Businesses, all as defined in Section 9.
3. All businesses operating within Buncombe County, except Essential Businesses as defined below
in Section 9.b, are required to cease all activities at facilities located within the County. For
clarity, businesses may continue operations consisting exclusively of employees or contractors
performing activities at their own residences (i.e., working from home). To the greatest extent
possible, all Essential Businesses shall comply with the Social Distancing Guidelines attached,
including maintaining six-foot social distancing for both employees and the general public.
4. All public or private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or
living unit are prohibited, except as otherwise provided herein. Nothing in this Order prohibits
the gathering of members of a household or living unit.
5. Restaurants with or without drive-in or drive-through services and microbreweries, microdistilleries, or wineries may only provide take out, delivery, or drive-through services as allowed
by law.
6. Religious and worship services may only be provided by video and teleconference. Religious
institutions must limit in-person staff to ten (10) people or less when preparing for or
conducting video or teleconference services, and all individuals must follow the attached Social
Distancing Guidelines including the six-foot social distancing, which are hereby adopted.
7. All visitors travelling to Buncombe County from areas experiencing community transmission of
COVID-19 – notably New York State, Washington State and California – must self-quarantine at
their residence upon arrival for 14 days before entering the community.
8. All elective medical, surgical, and dental procedures are prohibited anywhere in Buncombe
County. Hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, dental offices, and other medical facilities are
directed to identify procedures that are deemed “elective” by assessing which procedures can
be postponed or cancelled based on patient risk considering the emergency need for redirection
of resources to COVID-19 response.
