Three cases are work-related, two out-of-county, and two in-county. Three are out-of-state travel related. One is in-state travel related. Three are in a congregate living facility. Four do not know how they acquired the virus. From July 1-15 Haywood County has had 53 new cases of COVID-19; an average of 3 per day.

As of July 16, 44 cases are in isolation and 70 people are in quarantine because they have been identified as close contacts of known cases during contact tracing efforts.

“If you have symptoms such as headache, fever, cough, shortness of breath or loss of sense of smell don’t wait, get tested,” said Johnson. “If your doctor isn’t providing testing, contact one of the local urgent cares. Call first for pre-emptive screening and to find out what the current protocols are for when you arrive. It’s also important to understand that anyone tested for COVID-19, even as a standard pre-operative precaution, needs to stay home and self-quarantine away from other family members as able until test results are received, and then follow instructions according to the test results.”