Individuals and business across Fannin County have been affected and chosen to implement a variety of changes amid the threat of COVID-19.
Stores, such as Ingles Market and Wal-Mart, have elected to change their hours of operation at this time.
Ingles change the store’s hours to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting Monday, March 23. The following day, they began dedicating the store’s first hour, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., every Tuesday and Wednesday, to senior shoppers, first responders and customers with compromised immune systems.
Ingles advised the early closing will be used for sanitation, cleaning and restocking.
Wal-Mart will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8:30 p.m. until further notice.
Restaurants in the county have chosen to either stay open, close only their dining rooms or close completely for the time being. Many have also taken extra steps to ensure they are meeting Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations.
For example, McDonalds in Blue Ridge has made no changes to their hours as of Monday, March 23. Manager Darlene Williams said they are following all local and state CDC regulations to “keep employees and customers safe.”
According to Williams, the location’s staff use a spray with peroxide and other chemicals to wipe the entire restaurant down every 15 to 30 minutes. There is also an alcohol station set up for employees to use after each time they touch money.
Another fast-food restaurant in the community, Zaxby’s, has chosen to close their dining room at this time, however they are serving customers through the drive-thru.
Manager Christina Franklin said they are serving just as many customers through the drive-thru as they did through the dining room. She hopes to give employees more hours in the drive-thru if possible.
It is possible that customers will be able to go inside and carry out their food in the future. For the time being, they have bleached all tables, booths, etc. Employees also clean everything they touch every 30 minutes.
United Community Bank’s president, Johnny Chastain, said the bank is encouraging customers to follow President Trump’s guidelines regarding COVID-19.
The bank's main branch, located at 4000 Appalachian Highway in Blue Ridge, closed their lobby Tuesday, March 24 and closed their Ingles branch for the time being. The branch's main branch will operate out of their drive-thru entirely at this time.
“Even if we close the lobby, phones will still be open and we’ll be, if somebody needs something, obviously we’ll be able to get it for them,” Chastain said.
Those looking to see which businesses in the county are open or have made changes, can do so by visiting Fannin County Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page.
(Editor's note: The information used for this story was the latest available at noon Monday, March 23).