As of today, Monday, March 16, city hall in both the towns of Murphy and Andrews will be closed to public access due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, according to a press release issued by both cities.

The closure is “in an effort to protect our staff and customers,” according to the statements.

“This is a precautionary measure aimed to protect the community. Please use traditional mail or the utility drop box at city hall for water and sewer payments. Customer can call city hall for inquiries about their bill(s),” the statements read.

For the Town of Murphy, customers are asked to “(p)lease call 828-837-2510, ext 1,” while Andrews customers are asked to call “828-321-5111, ext 1, for questions about your bill(s) and/or avoiding late penalties,” the statements read. Both statements say that the cities “will work with customers to ensure late fees are not imposed as a result of this change.”

The closure of the two city halls will not effect other town services.

“Town administration will continue to keep normal operating hours, and all town services … will continue to be provided to the public as we work with state and local health officials during this time,” the statements continue. “The town is encouraging everyone to call town administration, police, fire, and public works in lieu of face to face visits for all non-emergency questions/concerns during this time as well.”

Additionally, the statements say, “We want to remind folks not to put paper towels or disposable wipes in toilets if they were unable to get toilet paper. It seems silly, but if several customers do that in a short period of time, we will have sewer issues.”

Also closing is the Town of Murphy’s public library, according to a statement from Mayor Rick Ramsey issued Sunday, March 15.

“To be as cautious as possible, and in order to protect our staff and the community, the Town of Murphy will close our library until further notice,” Ramsey said in the statement.

The statement goes on, “As the most visited library in the Nantahala Region, which serves many patrons in the demographic identified by public health officials as high risk, we must act proactively.”

Ramsey stated the Town is “working with Nantahala Regional partners to implement drive-by services during this period of closure.”

The statement concludes, “We want to emphasize that the closure is for precautionary reasons only, in order to protect our staff and patrons.”