Jordan Lake Recreation Area staff struggling to get PPE

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JORDAN LAKE — The Jordan Lake State Recreation Area is actively trying to obtain personal protection equipment — which has been in short supply nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic — for its staff.

Jay Greenwood, South District Superintendent for the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation based in Raleigh, said the park staff tasked with cleaning and maintaining bathrooms throughout the recreation area are dealing with the shortage of PPE since most of the supplies from companies and manufacturers are going to medical facilities. PPE is essential to the cleaning operations at the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area to reduce the spread risk of COVID-19.

According to North Carolina State Parks website, the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area is a collective of nine access areas scattered around the shoreline of this undeveloped, 14,000-acre reservoir. More than 1,000 campsites among five of the access areas offer a range of outdoor experience from RV hookups to primitive tent camping and group camps. There are seven swim beaches in the recreation area, boating ramps, swim areas and ramps reserved for campers, as well as nearly 14 miles of hiking trails wind across the lakeshore.

“We feel like we have PPE for our first responders staff, but the issue has been getting enough PPE for those who are actually having to clean the restroom facilities,” Greenwood said. “The biggest holdup has been gowns because they are just extremely difficult to find.”

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, as of last week, there were 7,388 average requests per day for gowns with only 29 days of supplies on hand — for healthcare and frontline workers.

Greenwood said they are trying to get PPE from “anywhere” right now.

“We tried to line up some contracts with private vendors and its been extremely difficult because, of course, they are trying to distribute those supplies world-wide so its been pretty challenging,” he said.

The Jordan Lake State Recreation Area has 45 public restrooms in total, but as a part of Phase 2 of Gov. Cooper’s plans to reopen the state, which started last Friday, only some of the facilities are opened. Currently open at the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area are Crosswinds (campground loops A, B and C, bathhouses and boat ramp, for campers only); Poplar Point (campground loops B, C, F, G, H and J, bathhouses and boat ramp, for campers only); the trails and boat ramp at New Hope Overlook; and canoe access and boat ramp at Robeson Creek, as well as the USACE Poes Ridge boat ramp and the NCWRC Farrington Point boat ramp. Because of recent flooding, facilities at Parkers Creek and additional campsites at Poplar Point and Crosswinds are closed.

As of this week, Greenwood said the staff have two weeks’ worth of PPE left. They are still trying to acquire it “every day.”

For more information and updates on reopenings please visit https://www.ncparks.gov.