ACCGov Re-Opening of Some Departments, Facilities Begins Week of June 1

The Athens-Clarke County Unified Government will begin to re-open some public spaces and offices for limited public interaction starting June 1, 2020. Additional opening procedures will take place in the coming weeks.

General Provisions for ACCGov Buildings & Facilities

• Departments and offices will continue to provide many services via phone, telecommuting, and online. Residents are encouraged to contact departments virtually through www.accgov.com or by phone whenever possible.
• Visitors are encouraged to wear face coverings when visiting ACCGov buildings and facilities. Some face coverings will be available at certain sites for those who are unable to bring their own.
• Buildings and facilities will have additional hand sanitizer stations for public use. Visitors are reminded to wash hands for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer frequently.
• Building spaces and public areas will be cleaned on a more frequent basis.
• Visitors should limit close contact and practice physical distancing of six feet from other people whenever possible. New customer counter windows are being installed at some locations to help limit close contact.

General Provisions for ACCGov Public Meetings

• Public meetings of the Mayor and Commission; boards, authorities, and commissions; and other ACCGov-related bodies continue to be held virtually at this time. 
• Live and on-demand recordings of Mayor and Commission meetings are available on YouTube (www.youtube.com/accgov), on ACTV Cable Channel 180, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/accgov), and on www.accgov.com/videos. Links to other live and on-demand meeting streams on YouTube are available through individual meeting links on the ACCGov online calendar at www.accgov.com/events.

Specific ACCGov Buildings

• City Hall will remain closed at this time except by appointment with specific offices.
• The Dougherty Street Government Building will be open 8:00 a.m. - noon for Building Inspections & Permits and Planning access (front side) and 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (rear side) for Transportation and Public Works access.
• The Satula Avenue Government Building will remain closed at this time except by appointment with specific offices.
• The Courthouse will open to the public with access to courts and other ACCGov offices with increased entrance procedures within the coming two weeks. More details will be provided on these procedures and hours of operations. While court offices will begin opening for limited transactions, most court functions will not resume until after the statewide judicial emergency ends, which is currently scheduled for June 12.

Governor Kemp's May 28 Executive Order for June 1-15

Governor Kemp released a 36-page Executive Order late this afternoon that provides updated statewide guidance for COVID-19 measures for residents, visitors, and businesses from June 1-15. Read a PDF of the order or view it through www.accgov.com/coronavirus.

Some general notes about the order:

• Provisions in the order are effective from June 1-15.
• All residents and visitors are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings while outside of their homes.
• Gatherings are not allowed unless their grouping is transitory or incidental or is the result of being spread across more than one single location. Gatherings are now defined as more than 25 persons physically present at a single location if, to be present, persons are required to stand or be seated within 6 feet of any other person.
• Those are higher risk of severe illness as defined in the order are required to Shelter-in-Place through June 12.
• Restaurants and dining services are allowed no more than 10 patrons per 300 square feet and shall implement 39 different measures. Banquet facilities, private event facilities, and private reception venues have been added to same category as restaurants and dine-in services.
• Live performance venues remain closed during the order.
• Critical Infrastructure shall implement measures to mitigate exposure and spread of COVID-19, which may include 16 measures in the order.
• Professional sports teams and organizations shall operate pursuant to the rules or guidelines promulgated or approved by the respective professional league of the sport.
• Businesses that continue in-person operations that are not Critical Infrastructure shall implement 21 measures to help prevent the exposure and spread of COVID-19 and should implement 3 additional measures if practicable.
  • Retail businesses shall also implement 6 additional measures to the 21 measures for businesses above.
  • Food establishments such as retail and wholesale grocery stores, shall implement the 6 additional measures for retail businesses and 13 additional measures for food establishments to the 21 measures mentioned above.
  • Gyms and fitness centers shall also implement 19 additional measures in addition to the 21 measures mentioned above.
  • Body art studios, estheticians, hair designers, persons licensed to practice massage therapy, and tanning facilities shall also implement an additional 13 measures to the 21 mentioned above.
  • Indoor movie theatres and cinemas shall also implement 8 additional measures to the 21 mentioned above.
  • Bowling alleys shall also implement 11 additional measures to the 21 mentioned above.
  • Bars shall also implement 39 additional measures to the 21 mentioned above, including occupancy limits.
  • Amateur sports teams and organizations shall adhere to the 21 guidelines for non-Critical Infrastructure.
  • Amusement rides, traveling carnivals, water parks, circuses, and other temporary amusement rides shall not begin operation until June 12 and implement 33 additional measures to the 21 mentioned above.
• Persons working outdoors without regular contact with other persons, such as delivery services, contractors, landscape businesses, and agricultural industry services shall only be required to practice Social Distancing and implement sanitation processes in the guidelines issued by the CDC.
• References to guidelines for healthcare industry, including dental practices and clinics, licensed optometrists, licensed opticians, and ambulatory surgical centers.
• Summer school shall implement additional measures that may include 11 measures.
• Child care learning centers and family child learning homes under the jurisdiction of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) shall maintain DECAL staff-child ratios and shall also implement an additional 13 measures to the 21 mentioned above.
• Summer camps can host campers overnight as of May 31. Summer camps shall also implement 33 measures and have some additional requirements.

While the statewide order is in effect, all local ordinances that are more restrictive or less restrictive than the statewide order are suspended.

Read a PDF of the full May 28 Governor's Executive Order or view it through www.accgov.com/coronavirus

279 Positive Cases Confirmed in Athens-Clarke County, 13 Deaths

The state Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) case tracker (https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report) confirms 279 positive cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Athens-Clarke County with 13 deaths as of 7:00 p.m. on May 29.

The Daily Status Report is updated three times a day at 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. This change will enable more consistent reporting while still providing timely and actionable data.

The case tracker has recently been updated to a new format and provides additional county-level information, including the number of cases per 100,000 people (currently 215 for Athens-Clarke County).

If you view the data, however, please be sure to check the area showing the definitions of the information presented. Some have different meanings than what you may expect.

The 13 people who have died were ages 60-98. Eleven of those deaths occurred at a long-term care facility during March and April. For a daily report on long-term health care facilities in the state, visit the Georgia Department of Community Health’s website at dch.georgia.gov.

Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes are at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 and should always consult their healthcare provider if they are sick.