Wake County Relocates Emergency Operations Center to Follow COVID-19 Safety Guidance

Wake County employees working in the Emergency Operations Center can now follow social distancing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after the county relocated its EOC over the weekend to a larger space. The additional room enables staff to sit six feet apart, which helps prevent the spread of germs.

“We can’t do what we need to do to protect and inform our 1 million-plus residents if we get sick,” said Darshan Patel, EOC manager and Wake County Emergency Management team leader. “This move helps ensure the county employees staffing the EOC 12 hours a day stay healthy as we work through this challenging time.”

Originally located in the basement of the old county courthouse, the EOC is now set up on the first floor of the Waverly F. Akins Office Building in the space previously occupied by the Wake County Board of Elections, pictured here.

The new space allows employees to practice social distancing, which is advised by the CDC. Employees are now spread out over 11,000 square feet, as opposed to 1,100 square feet.

It took Wake County’s General Services Administration and Information Services teams about two and a half days to perform the move, which was coordinated through the EOC’s logistics group. Staff relocated 40 workstations and a 25-seat call center—which included phones and computers—along with all the electrical and networking services. 

This is the first time Wake County has had to relocate the EOC, which has been in its original location since 1988.

Staying Updated

Wake County has made it easy for you to stay updated on the latest information about COVID-19.

You can visit our bilingual COVID-19 webpage, which has a set of frequently asked questions to educate residents in English and in Spanish. You can also email us questions at covid19.questions@wakegov.com, or you can call our COVID-19 information line at 919-856-7044. The county is also sharing important information on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are also good resources for up-to-date, accurate information about this evolving situation.