May 12, 2021 Update

Coronavirus COVID-19 Update: Courts & Courthouse

GA Supreme Court Chief Justice Melton Signs 14th Order Extending Judicial Emergency Until June 7

Under an order signed on May 8, 2021 by Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold D. Melton, next Friday, May 14, deadlines will be reimposed on prosecutors for presenting cases to the grand jury involving detained adults and juveniles.

The order is the 14th the Chief Justice has signed that extends for 30 days the Statewide Judicial Emergency he first declared in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under state law, the Chief Justice is authorized to declare an emergency for 30 days at a time.

State law requires that any adult who is arrested for a crime and refused bail must have the charges presented to a grand jury within 90 days of the person’s confinement; for any juvenile charged with such a serious crime that the case is under the jurisdiction of a superior court rather than juvenile court, the deadline for presenting the case is 180 days from the juvenile’s detention.

Throughout the pandemic, those deadlines were suspended because in-person grand jury proceedings were nearly all suspended due to the threat of the virus spreading. However, the September 2020 order extending the emergency authorized the resumption of grand jury hearings where they could be done safely and in compliance with public health protocols.

Today’s order extends the Statewide Judicial Emergency for another 30 days until June 7, 2021. However, it encourages judges and litigants to prepare for the eventual end of the judicial emergency, which by law will happen shortly after Gov. Brian Kemp lifts the Public Health State of Emergency.

“Courts and litigants should be aware that when this statewide judicial emergency order expires, all deadlines not already reimposed will immediately be reimposed,” the May 8 order says, unless the deadlines have been suspended by a local judicial emergency order. Under Senate Bill 163, which Gov. Kemp signed into law on May 4, superior and state courts may be relieved of statutory speedy trial requirements following the declaration of a judicial emergency due to the impracticability of meeting the requirements in particular counties. Today’s order points out that any order granting such relief may suspend statutory speedy trial requirements for no more than eight months, and the overall authority to grant relief will expire on June 30, 2023.

Today’s order also calls attention to House Bill 635, which Gov. Kemp also has signed. This legislation “provides additional tools to resolve backlogs of criminal cases, including broadened authority for superior courts to select juries and try cases in alternative facilities where social distancing may be possible; discretion of courts to try certain cases without a jury when the defendant so elects, even if the prosecutor requests a jury trial; and broadened authority of prosecutors to initiate certain cases by accusation rather than indictment,” the order says. Cases brought by accusation don’t require a hearing before a grand jury.

As the courts gradually reopen in-person proceedings with health precautions in place, the May 8 order encourages courts to “continue to use technology to conduct remote judicial proceedings when doing so is a safer alternative to in-person proceedings.”

The order also encourages courts to evaluate which proceedings should continue to be conducted remotely even after the judicial emergency ends.

The full judicial order is available online at accgov.com/coronavirus [direct link].

COVID-19 Vaccinations Offered in Athens-Clarke County Jail

All individuals housed in the Athens-Clarke County Jail were offered the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine on Thursday, May 6.

Approximately 50 inmates took advantage of the opportunity to receive the vaccine. Innovative Healthcare Institute of Athens donated the service free of charge to the jail residents, as well as any Clarke County Sheriff's Office staff members who had not been vaccinated.

The single dose delivery system is preferred for the jail environment in order to avoid the scenario in which individuals would be released from the jail after receiving only one dose of a two dose regiment. The vaccine supply was provided through a donation from St. Mary's Healthcare System.

The Athens-Clarke County Jail is operated by the Sheriff's Office.

Athens-Clarke County Libraries Resume Regular Hours on May 17

The Athens Regional Library System announced on May 10 that its library branches will resume their regular pre-pandemic service hours starting Monday, May 17.

Face masks are required in Athens-Clarke County libraries per the current local ordinance and social distancing measures will remain in place.

Starting May 17, Athens-Clarke County Libraries hours will change to:

Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter Street, Athens
Monday-Thursday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday-Saturday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, 2:00 – 6:00 PM
Pinewoods Library, 1465 U.S. Highway 29N Lot #F-12, Athens
Monday and Wednesday, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Tuesday and Thursday: 1:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Friday: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Winterville Library, 115 Marigold Lane, Winterville
Tuesday and Thursday, 3:00 – 7:00 PM
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Lay Park Resource Center, 297 Hoyt Street, Athens
Monday – Friday, 2:00 – 6:00 PM

Curbside service is available upon request. Athens-Clarke County Library’s meeting rooms will be available for reservations starting June 1.

Most library events continue to be hosted online, but in-person computer classes are now available. Visit athenslibrary.org to see the full calendar of library events, including registration information.

For more information, call the library at 706-613-3650 or visit athenslibrary.org.

Georgia Department of Public Health Daily Status Report

May 12 Case Update for Athens-Clarke County

The Wednesday, May 12 update shows an increase of 38 positive cases and 0 deaths since Wednesday, May 5.

As of May 11, 28.6% of ACC residents were fully vaccinated.

For reference, here are the cumulative numbers from the beginning of each month:

May 1, 2021 - 12,752
April 1, 2021 - 12,439
March 1, 2021 - 12,004
February 1, 2021 - 11,162
January 1, 2021 - 8,580
December 1 - 6,732
November 1 - 5,872
October 1 - 5,121
September 1 - 3,082
August 1 - 1,694
July 1 - 574
June 1 - 293
May 1 - 155
April 1 - 54
March 1 - 4

The Daily Status Report is now updated once daily at 3:00 p.m. to allow time to process and validate laboratory and case reports. The Daily Status Report is available at https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report. The statewide Vaccination Dashboard is available at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3d8eea39f5c1443db1743a4cb8948a9c.

Positive UGA COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck - Week 38 (May 3-9)

The University of Georgia DawgCheck tool gives members of the campus community the ability to self-monitor and to facilitate information sharing internally and with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). Any student or employee with a positive COVID-19 test is required to report the test in DawgCheck.

Last Five Weeks of Tests

Positive COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck

Visit the UGA Health Center Website with these graphs and other updates.

The table above reflects the total number of positive test results reported through DawgCheck each week. It is updated every Wednesday. Please note the following:

Positive tests reported through DawgCheck are from any of the approximately 50,000 faculty, staff, and students connected to the University of Georgia, whether located in Athens, extended campuses, extension offices across the state, or even other states and countries for students who elected to take online classes.
The totals may include reports from individuals who have not been on campus recently, there may be delays in reporting, and the totals may even include individuals who have recovered.
Therefore, the data does not serve as an accurate barometer of the current status of COVID-19 at any point in time at any one of UGA’s campuses.
Since August 10, UGA has supported surveillance testing (Legion Field) for asymptomatic individuals and clinical (Health Center) testing resources for symptomatic students as a means of distancing the two populations and optimizing the use of Health Center staff and the facility. Because students are showing symptoms when they request a test at the Health Center, it is expected that its tests would have a significantly higher positivity rate than would be the case for those who are asymptomatic when tested.
Results of testing at the University Health Center for the week of May 3 include a total of 99 COVID-19 tests; there were NO positive tests. The positivity rate was 0.0%.
For the week of May 3, 50% of the tests in the “Other” category were performed in Athens-Clarke and its 5 adjoining counties, and the remaining 50% were located elsewhere in the state. No students reported a test done outside of the state. No instructional faculty members reported a positive test.

DawgCheck and other University of Georgia-related COVID information is available at the University Health Center website at https://uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/covid-19-health-and-exposure-updates.

Frequency of Updates

This coronavirus email / text update is sent weekly during normal weeks, usually on Wednesdays, with other updates as necessary with important information.

Questions can still be directed to www.accgov.com/coronavirus, which will be updated regularly, the info line at 706-613-3333, or coronavirus@accgov.com.