August 4, 2021 Update

Updates Resuming

After 127 editions of this ACCGov COVID-19 newsletter, the Public Information Office paused this newsletter production indefinitely after the June 30, 2021 edition.

Due to the recent significant increase in local cases, spread of the delta variant, and indoor mask requirement approved by the Mayor and Commission, the newsletter has been reinstated temporarily.

At this stage, it is not yet known how often the newsletter will be produced - it may be only for significant events or on a regular basis.

Mayor & Commission Approve Mask Requirement for Indoor Spaces - Effective as of Wed., Aug. 4

At their Regular Session meeting on Tuesday, August 3, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission approved an ordinance for the 20th declaration of a local state of emergency related to COVID-19.

Section 3 of the ordinance includes an indoor mask requirement for all persons when they are in a public space or an entity (private businesses, establishment, corporation, non-profit corporation, or organization).

The ordinance was signed on the evening Tuesday, August 3 and went into effect at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, August 4. The full ordinance is available online - key parts are detailed below.

The requirement will be enforced when confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the previous seven days is equal to or greater than 100 cases per 100,000 people according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or until the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) reports a vaccination rate of 80% of the Athens-Clarke County population.

For reference, as of Tuesday, August 3, the CDC shows a seven day case rate of 147.28 per 100,000 and DPH shows a vaccination rate of 43% with at least one dose and 40% fully vaccinated.

Facial coverings or masks are not required in the following circumstances:

(1) In personal vehicles or upon residential property;
(2) When a person is alone in enclosed spaces or only with other household members;
(3) When the individual has a bona fide religious objection to wearing a facial covering or mask;
(4) While drinking or eating;
(5) When a licensed healthcare provider has determined that wearing a facial covering or mask causes or aggravates a health condition for the individual or when such person has a bona fide medical reason for not wearing a facial covering or mask;
(6) When wearing a facial covering or mask would prevent the receipt of personal services or performing work in the course of employment;
(7) When complying with the directions of a law enforcement officer or for the purposes of verifying a person's identity, such as when purchasing alcohol, tobacco, or prescription drugs or when engaging in a financial transaction;
(8) Children under the age of 10;
(9) When the individual is having difficulty donning or removing a face mask or face covering without assistance;
(10) At any polling place and no individual shall be denied ingress or egress to or from a polling place for failure to wear a facial covering or mask; and

Every entity subject to the ordinance that does not consent to enforcement of the ordinance upon its property shall post a clearly legible sign in one inch Arial font at all public entrances stating: "This location does not consent to enforcement of any local face covering requirement upon this property."

If an entity does not post the signage described, it shall be conclusively presumed to have consented to enforcement of this ordinance on its property. Failures by individuals to wear facial coverings or masks as required by this ordinance shall be determined to be violations and enforced.

Violations of Section 3 may be enforced by a notice of ordinance violation issued by any police officer, code enforcement officer, or other authorized law enforcement official, as provided below:

(1) A person who fails to comply shall be first given a warning and an opportunity to put on a facial covering or mask, leave the entity, or comply with one of the exceptions.
(2) If the person violating the ordinance refuses or fails to comply after being given a warning, then such person may be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $25.00 on the first offense and not more than $50.00 on the second and any subsequent offenses.
(3) A notice of violation may be served by delivery into the hands of the suspected violator or by other reasonable process for serving notice of ordinance violations used by Athens-Clarke County.
(4) Violations of the ordinance shall not be enforced against any entity and shall not be taken against any owner, director, officer, or agent of an entity for the failure of their customers to comply with this ordinance.
(5) Notwithstanding the foregoing, every effort shall be made to bring an individual into voluntary compliance with the terms of this ordinance prior to issuance of any notice of violation, including providing complimentary masks, explaining the importance of wearing facial coverings during this pandemic, and issuing verbal and written warnings.

In all locations where facial coverings or masks are not required to be worn pursuant to this ordinance, they are strongly encouraged to be worn.

COVID-19 Cases, Admissions, Deaths & Vaccinations in Athens-Clarke County

CDC Order Provides Temporary Protection from Eviction Until Oct. 3 for Some Counties, Including Athens-Clarke County

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new order temporarily halting evictions in counties with heightened levels of community transmission in order to respond to recent, unexpected developments in the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the rise of the Delta variant. It is intended to target specific areas of the country where cases are rapidly increasing, which likely would be exacerbated by mass evictions.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed the order on August 3 determining the evictions of tenants for failure to make rent or housing payments could be detrimental to public health control measures to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

This order will expire on October 3, 2021 and applies in United States counties experiencing substantial and high levels of community transmission levels of SARS-CoV-2, which includes Athens-Clarke County.

The eviction moratorium allows additional time for rent relief to reach renters and to further increase vaccination rates. In the context of a pandemic, eviction moratoria—like quarantine, isolation, and social distancing—can be an effective public health measure utilized to prevent the spread of communicable disease.

Eviction moratoria facilitate self-isolation and self-quarantine by people who become ill or who are at risk of transmitting COVID-19 by keeping people out of congregate settings and in their own homes.

The order can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-eviction-declaration.html.

Positive UGA COVID-19 Tests Reported Through DawgCheck - (July 26 - Aug. 1)

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.

For the week of July 26, there were 38 reported positive COVID-19 tests through DawgCheck.

Last Five Weeks of Tests

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 do 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, 2020 UGA has supported surveillance testing 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 July 26 include a total of 77 COVID-19 tests; there were 12 positive tests. The positivity rate was 15.6%.

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.

Free COVID-19 Vaccine Events

Below are some upcoming opportunities for free vaccinations from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Northeast Health District (NEHD). (Schedules subject to change by NEHD - verify information on the NEHD website.)

No appointment needed
Walk-ups welcome
No insurance required
No ID required

Friday, August 6
Our Daily Bread
First Baptist Church at 355 Pulaski St. Athens, GA 30601
Noon - 1:00 PM

Saturday, August 7
National Night Out
Bishop Park, 705 Sunset Dr, Athens, GA 30606-
12:30-2:30 PM

Upcoming event listings are updated every Friday online on the NEHD website

Resources:

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines at bit.ly/NEHDCOVIDVaccine.
PublicHealthIsForEveryone.com
Clarke County Health Department on Facebook