Jones County Health Department issued the following press release this morning:

Trenton, NC – Jones County Health Department (JCHD) continues to monitor the spread of COVID-19 and is closely working with local, state and federal partners to provide the most current guidance and information. The following are some important updates.

Numbers of Tests

JCHD continues to receive updates on the number of residents that have been tested for COVID19. As of today, 26 residents have been tested for COVID-19 with 21 negative test results and 5 tests that are still pending. At this time, Jones County does not have a positive case.

Grab-n-Go School Meals

The Jones County Public School System has been delivering and having sites for parents to pick up meals for their children. However, during Spring Break (April 13 - 17) Jones County Public Schools will be not delivering meals. Parents who need food assistance for their children during that time can text FOODNC to 877-877 or call 2-1-1 to find out locations near them for meals pick up.

Childcare Assistance

Effective April 1, 2020, parents considered Critical Workers will be eligible to apply for a Pandemic Subsidy. This subsidy is for parents not already receiving or ineligible for regular subsidies. The Pandemic Subsidy application is available on the North Carolina DHHS childcare website: https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/. Also, if you are a parent who is required to work but may have difficulty finding a childcare placement, please call the Child Care Need Hotline at 1-888-600-1685.

Food Access

To help families with access to food, the NC DHHS is temporarily increasing benefits for March and April 2020 to current Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Food Stamp recipients. Women, Infant and Children (WIC) services have also expanded their eligibility requirements for individuals during this time. To find if you are eligible to receive WIC services, go onto the JCHD website page: www.jonescountyhealth.com or call the main number at 252-448-9111.

Please do not go overboard at the grocery store! Make sure you leave enough for others to buy, especially families who can’t buy a large amount of food at once or who are on SNAP/EBT or WIC benefits. We are all in this together!

Remember the best strategy to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 is to practice social distancing. Social Distancing is creating physical space between people to help reduce the spread of illness. Some examples of social distancing include: 1) Staying at least 6 feet apart, 2) Working from home, 3) avoid gatherings with many people, and 4) using electronic methods to communicate with your loved ones.

For more information on the coronavirus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html) and the North Carolina Division of Public Health Coronavirus call line (1-866-462-3821) or (https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/COVID19.html). Jones County Health Department also is a source of information (252-448-9111) or http://www.jonescountyhealth.com.