Friday, March 20 Update

Message from Mayor Kelly Girtz on March 20, 2020

A video message from Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz about the local response to coronavirus COVID-19 and the recent Mayor and Commission second declaration of a local emergency. The declaration instituted a shelter-in-place requirement and requirements on businesses and residents in Athens-Clarke County.

UPDATED: Mayor & Commission Unanimously Approves Second Declaration of a Local State of Emergency at Special Called Session on Thursday, March 19

March 20 - 10:10 p.m.

A series of FAQs and other information is now available on www.accgov.com/coronavirus. The information will be regularly updated.

The Mayor and Commission unanimously approved an ordinance with a second declaration of a local state of emergency at their Special Called Session on Thursday, March 19.

The ordinance is designed to ensure that the maximum number of people self-isolate in their places of residence to the maximum extent feasible, while enabling essential services to continue, in order to slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the maximum extent possible. In order to achieve these goals, the ordinance includes a number of provisions for residents and businesses, including:

• requiring residents to shelter-in-place 24/7 aside from essential activities, essential governmental functions, or to operate essential businesses (as defined in the ordinance);
• requiring all businesses, except essential businesses, to cease all activities except minimum basic operations (as defined in the ordinance);
• prohibiting all public and private gatherings outside of a household or living unit except for limited purposes;
• prohibiting travel except essential travel and essential activities (as defined in the ordinance);
• requiring "social distancing" to the maximum extent possible when outdoors or using shared spaces, which includes maintaining a six-foot distance from others, washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds as frequently as possible or using hand sanitizer, covering coughs and sneezes, regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces, and not shaking hands;
• allowing for temporary hand-washing stations to be placed throughout Athens-Clarke County; and
• providing up to $3 million in funding from the Prosperity Package and pursuing other sources for providing emergency assistance to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For full details, including definitions and exceptions, read the final approved ordinance.

Information and links to more information will be available at www.accgov.com/coronavirus and in other outlets.

10 Positive Cases Confirmed in Athens-Clarke County

As per the state Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) case tracker (https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report) that is now updated daily at noon and 7:00 p.m. as of March 20, the Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed two additional positive cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Athens-Clarke County, bringing the total number of cases to 10.

The Northeast Health District Epidemiology team is working to identify and notify any close contacts who may have been exposed to COVID-19. The Northeast Health District will no longer be releasing information for each individual case.

Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing Begins in Athens-Clarke County

The Northeast Health District has opened a drive-through site that is testing for COVID-19 by referral. The testing site is performing specimen collection only, and results will take three to four days. No results will be given on-site.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath, you should stay at home and call your health care provider to describe your symptoms and reasons for suspecting exposure.

Be sure to call before going to a doctor’s office, emergency room, or urgent care center. Your healthcare provider will assess your risk factors and refer you for testing, if appropriate.

If you do not have a primary care provider, you may call 844-442-2681 to receive instructions on how to be assessed and referred for testing, if needed.

Information Sources

The response to COVID-19 involves both rapid and extensive changes and also deliberate measures that take some time to consider.

Once official information is released from the Georgia Department of Public Health, the Northeast Georgia Health District, the State of Georgia government, or other local partners, we will report it on www.accgov.com/coronavirus and social media.

Additionally, this COVID-19 update newsletter will go out at least daily with new information primarily about the ACCGov response and plans. It may also include some local area information of note as space allows.