Effective at 7 a.m. May 26, face coverings will be required for all individuals 12 years of age and older in all indoor public commercial facilities, including libraries and public transit. This follows a 4-3 vote along party lines by county commissioners May 21.

The face covering provision does not apply in the following places or situations:

• While eating in any restaurant.
• For reasons related to any individual’s medical condition, disability or religious beliefs.
• In private offices.
• In areas of retail establishments, businesses and restaurants that are not open to the public.
• When complying with directions of law enforcement officers.
• During any worship, religious and spiritual gatherings, funeral ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and other activities constituting the exercise of First Amendment rights.
• In settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering when obtaining or rendering goods or services.

Guidelines for wearing a face covering include:

• It must cover both the mouth and nose.
• It must be snug.
• Don’t touch a face covering while wearing it or, if you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.
• When removing, do so by lifting ear loops or ties without touching the front of mask or your face and wash your hands afterwards.
• Wash the face covering with soap and water regularly or in the washing machine with other clothes.
• Do not put a face covering on anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or otherwise unable to remove their own mask, or on children under 2 years of age.
• Do not use them as a substitute for social distancing, hand washing or staying home when sick.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is pleased to share that artists and friends alike will join us in honoring music legend Doc Watson during the week of May 25 – 29, 2020. A list of artists participating each day will be posted across our social media channels.

Doc Watson passed away on May 29, 2012. MerleFest artist relations manager Lindsay Craven reached out to see if some artists would like to share a special song and a memory of Doc Watson. “The response was amazing,” she said. “We have over 60 artists that have taken time to record a video and send in a song for us to share with our fans. It was only fitting to call this remembrance #DocWatsonWeek.” The event will close out with Doc’s final performance on the Creekside Stage in 2012.

To view the event, you can tune into MerleFest’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts during the week. The videos will go out each hour, starting at 9 a.m. each day. If you don’t want to view the videos on Facebook, you can find us on Instagram at @MerleFest and Twitter at @MerleFest.

Mystery Hill and our rowdy neighbor, Tomahawk Hill, will be reopening from 9 am to 6 pm only on Fridays, Sat-
urdays, and Sundays, starting May 15th. As part of the Covid 19 Phase One business openings instituted in North

Carolina, we will abide by the safe distancing rules, and will have limited, time-slotted tickets. We encourage
visitors to buy tickets in advance on our website to avoid wait times outside. All attractions will be operating with
some operational changes to help with social distancing and ramped up sanitation procedures. Front Porch Eats
will operate for take out only but the onsite picnic areas have been setup for social distancing and will be open.
We are going to extend the expiration date on all current Vortex Pass Memberships to December 31, 2021 and for the
rest of May any vortex passes purchased or renewed will get $20 off and will also be valid until December 31, 2021.
Here are just some of the precautions we are taking:
• Separate entrance and exit doors to limit cross traffic
• 6 ft separation in ticketing queue line
• Plastic barriers separating staff and guests in ticketing line
• Staff will wear a mask and maintain social distance
• Anomaly tours will start every 30 min and will be private for only one group traveling
together

• Access to the Museums, Tomahawk Hill and Gift Shops will be limited by occupancy to help with social dis-
tancing

• The Old Time Photo Parlour will not be open yet so for tickets that include photos guest can choose to either
have a souvenir photo done in the Mystery House, Platform, Bubblerama, or Tomahawk Hill or they can get a
voucher to use for the Old Time Photo when it reopens
• Front Porch Eats will operate for takeout only but guests can use our picnic tables which have been spread
out to maintain social distancing
• We are adding hand sanitizing stations at the entrance to each of our exhibit areas and asking the guest to
sanitize before they enter
• We are increasing our daily housekeeping cleaning of fixtures, exhibits, and handrails to several times per day

Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest will reopen to the public effective 9a.m. May 13. To encourage responsible use and to maintain required social distancing, phased reopening will begin with allowing public access only to areas of the forest that promote movement-focused activities such as hiking. All areas and facilities of the forest will not be available during phase one of the reopening but will become available in accordance with Governor Cooper’s phased plan for reopening the state.

What can visitors expect during a visit to Rendezvous Mountain ESF during phase one of the reopening?

• Rendezvous Mountain ESF will be open Monday through Friday, 9a.m. until 5p.m.
• Most of the trail system will be open, and visitors should come prepared to access trails and to keep moving.
• Parking has been adjusted to allow for more spacing and to make it more feasible for visitors to maintain recommended social distance.
• While portable toilets will be available for visitors, restrooms will remain closed.
• Gathering areas of the forest will remain closed to encourage movement and separation. These areas include the following:
• all picnic areas;
• the McGee Forestry Center;
• the Bathhouse;
• the Ranger Station;
• the Logger’s Shack;
• the Office; and,
• the amphitheater.

As we move forward with this phased approach, we urge the public to adjust expectations, to be prepared, to stay local and to continue complying with CDC recommendations and guidelines. Visitors are asked to be responsible for individual best practices and to follow social distancing recommendations. Visitor behavior will be a key factor for providing continued public access and to avoid additional closures to the forest during this period of phased reopening. For phased reopening to be successful for public lands across our state, visitors must be good stewards and good neighbors. If you arrive during a busy time and find limited parking, the right decision is to return home and plan to visit another day at another time. If we are busy, expect other public lands, such as state parks and national forests, to also be busy. For up-to-date information about access to state forests in North Carolina, please stay tuned into https://ncforestservice.gov/COVID19.htm and NCFS social media accounts.

Every week day, Janet’s Planet gives children a daily dose of science and space topics from around the world.