Town of Banner Elk, North Carolina

North Carolina Stay At Home Order
Effective, March 30, 2020 at 5:00 PM - Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 121, ordering North Carolinians to remain in their homes except for performing essential work and essential activities such as taking care of others, obtaining necessary supplies, and for health and safety purposes.

Read Executive Order No. 121

Frequently Asked Questions for North Carolina’s Stay At Home Order

Local State of Emergency-Avery County Government Suspension of All Short-Term Rentals Effective Immediately
Effective Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 5:00 p.m., Avery County government, the Health Department, Emergency Management, and Sheriff’s Office are requiring that lodging facilities, for example, air bed and breakfasts, campgrounds, timeshare units, condos, motels, hotels, and other rental programs or places where leases or rentals are for less than one month in duration, be suspended in Avery County until April 18, 2020. This action is consistent with actions taken by other communities across the state and nation to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus due to human travel.

Link to Full Press Release

Closings
The Town Hall and The Historic Banner Elk School will be closed to the public until further notice.  Town Hall staff will continue to work and are available by phone and email during regular office hours.  828-898-5398

The park restrooms and playground equipment have also been closed at this time.  The park and greenway do remain open.

We apologize for any inconveniences this creates during this trying time.  Please know that the Town continues to monitor developments and take appropriate actions to provide service continuity.

State of Emergency
On Friday March 20, 2020 Avery County declared a local State of Emergency.  The link below goes to a Declaration signed by the Mayor of Banner Elk to consent to the Avery County State of Emergency applying to Banner Elk.  This does not preclude the Town from exercising its own statutorily allowed authority if needed.

LINK

The Town of Banner Elk will continue to follow State and Federal guidance on issues related to COVID-19.

PLEASE USE THE LINKS BELOW FOR INFORMATION AND UPDATES ON CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services  (NCDHHS)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   (CDC)

Meeting Updates
Due to the health concerns associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19) and efforts to limit the possible transmission, the Town of Banner Elk has made the decision to cancel all Town Advisory Board (Planning Board and Board of Adjustment) meetings until further notice.  Town staff is available by phone for questions related to these Board meetings.