The following East Cobb food scores from March 24-April 10 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for details of the inspection:
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With churches and other houses of worship closed due to the Coronavirus-related shelter-in-place order in Georgia, many congregations have prepared for Holy Week and Easter services online.
Some have been doing this since early in the Lenten season in Early March.
We’ve compiled Easter Sunday listings and you can find them here, in similar fashion to what we do for the Advent and Christmas season.
The individual church links have more information about other special services and events, including a few Easter Vigil services on Saturday.
If you’d like to add what your church is doing, and don’t see it here, or need to correct or update information that we have listed, please let us know.
Send all information to: editor@eastcobbbnews.com.
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The return from “spring break” will come with a new digital learning schedule for Cobb County School District students starting on Monday.
For the rest of the school year, they’ll be on a Monday-Thursday schedule, with Friday set aside for catching up on homework, reviewing student progress and more.
“No new work or assignments will be presented to students on Fridays,” the district announced Friday morning:
“We have been actively listening to the experiences of our students, parents, and teachers. In an environment that has changed much in our day-to-day lives, we have heard many examples of an entire community that is supporting learning in exciting, creative ways. We are also committed to listening and learning from those experiences so student learning can best continue for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year.”
After in-person classes were cancelled for the rest of the year in Georgia public schools by Gov. Brian Kemp, Cobb schools issued academic guidance that includes pass/fail grading for students in K-8, and gives students the choice of accepting their grades as of March 13 (when schools closed) or continuing through the end of the school year.
Students on track to graduate as of March 13 also will be given credit for courses for which they were enrolled on or before that date.
The Cobb school district said it was exploring options on having some kind of graduation observance, but thus far hasn’t indicated anything beyond that.
Five full weeks of school remain, with the last day of classes on May 20.
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The organizers of the Marietta Greek Festival announced Thursday that this year’s event, scheduled for May 15-17, has been cancelled and will not be made up. Here’s the message that’s being sent out:
“As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, our utmost concern is for the health and safety of our guests, neighbors, and church family. We look forward to seeing you again in May 2021 – as always, the weekend after Mother’s Day!”
That was the last of the major spring festivals and events in East Cobb to announce a cancellation or postponement.
The May 2 Taste of East Cobb was called off last month, as was the Cobb Master Gardeners plant sale and expo and spring garden tour.
Another event that had been scheduled for April 18 will be held in the summer.
That’s the sendoff for retiring Temple Kol Emeth Rabbi Steven Lebow, whose Opus celebration is now taking place on July 18.
Send Us Your News!
If you have Coronavirus-related event changes, business openings or closings to share with the public, e-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East Cobb.
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“This decision allows our office and county election officials to continue to put in place contingency plans to ensure that voting can be safe and secure when in-person voting begins and prioritizes the health and safety of voters, county election officials, and poll workers,” Raffensparger said.
He had resisted calls from Georgia House Speaker Dennis Ralston and others to delay the elections due to the statewide response to COVID-19, which has claimed 370 lives and infected more than 10,000 people in the state.
The Georgia delay also comes two days after the Wisconsin primary took place following a legal battle in which the state’s Supreme Court overturned the governor’s attempt to postpone voting.
There were poll worker shortages reported and many polling places were closed and consolidated. Citizens showed up at polls waiting in long lines, not able to observe social distancing guidelines, to cast their ballots.
In his announcement Thursday, Raffensparger said there were concerns from county elections officials in southwest Georgia that they “could not overcome the challenges brought on by COVID-19 in time for in-person voting to begin on April 27.”
The Albany area and surrounding counties have been hard-hit by COVID-19, with a state-high 62 deaths reported in Dougherty County.
The voter registration deadline has been pushed back to May 11, and early voting will take place on May 18.
Raffensparger had mailed out an absentee ballot application to all registered voters in Georgia, and the number of requests has overwhelmed county elections officials.
That includes Cobb Elections, which this week notified county voters that the Secretary of State’s vendor had not yet started mailing out absentee ballots.
According to Raffensparger, absentee ballot applications “will continue to be accepted and processed by counties even if the application said May 19. Once county election officials properly verify the signature on the application, the voter will be sent an absentee ballot for the primary election now to be held on June 9.”
The general primary includes voting for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by David Perdue, Congressional races, state legislative races, county commission contests, school board campaigns and judicial seats.
Any runoffs will now take place on Aug. 11.
The race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Kelly Loeffler will be a “jungle primary” held during the Nov. 3 general election.
The presidential preference primary had been moved to May 19 from its original date of March 24, but there won’t be anything unresolved on the ballot.
President Donald Trump is the only Republican candidate on the ballot, and former vice president Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign this week.
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Walton student Emory Paul (center) delivers daily living supplies to homeless people in Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta. Photos courtesy of Soul Supplies
During his sophomore year a year ago at Walton High School, Emory Paul was a teenager with a mission to play a role helping homeless people in downtown Atlanta.
He started an organization called Soul Supplies to provide individuals with backpacks of toiletries, hygiene products and other daily living essentials.
Paul and a few others would travel to Woodruff Park and drop off those supplies. Along the way, he said he learned more about those who live on the streets but who remain largely invivisible.
“We want to humanize people,” Paul said. “They become homeless in many ways. Many of them have just fallen on hard times. We shake their hands, ask their names, try to get to know them.”
As a result, he estimates that he and Soul Supplies volunteers have helped more than 150 people, delivering 3,000 items that have been collected through donations, from more than 200 donors thus far.
Items collected by Soul Supplies to be distributed in backpacks.
As his junior year comes to a close, Paul has been planning the next phase of his project. He just completed paperwork and other tasks to make Soul Supplies a non-profit, enabling it to partner with other organizations and businesses.
“I’ve always had a passion for helping the homeless,” he said. “I want to do more, but I just didn’t know how.”
Each backpack is filled with around $40-$50 in supplies—among other things soap, deodorant, brushes, handwipes, socks, lotion, non-perishable snacks, toothbrushes and toothpaste and water bottles.
Before heading to Woodruff Park, Paul said he researched where the need for such provisions would make sense. Some of those he meets do go to shelters on occasion, but the supplies are designed to be used wherever someone may spend time.
Soul Supplies is accepting donations of items for the backpacks—including the backpacks—as well as financial donations.
He said they’ll be glad to pick up items at your curbside, given the Coronavirus social distancing guidelines.
More information on getting involved can be found here, and a temporary PayPal link can be found here while Soul Supplies awaits its business account.
He’s also gotten involved with an organization called Atlanta Survival Program, which is helping provide food supplies for those affected by COVID-19.
Paul said this year he’d like to reach 1,000 people through Soul Supplies. “The sky’s the limit,” he said, because the need remains significant.
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After coming under fire for selling investments right before the Coronavirus outbreak, Georgia U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler said Wednesday she and her husband are liquidating their individual stock holdings and will be trading in exchange-traded and mutual funds from now on.
U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler
In an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal, the appointed successor to Johnny Isakson denied accusations of insider trading, and said she and her husband are changing their portfolios to “end media fixation” on the issue even though ethics provisions don’t require it.
Loeffler, who lives in Buckhead, was the chief executive of a subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange, a commodity and financial service provider founded by her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher. He is also the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange.
Published reports indicated Loeffler and Sprecher bought and sold a total of $1.4 million in stock before financial markets suffered their worst fall since the recession in October 2008.
In the piece, entitled “I Never Traded on Confidential Coronavirus Information,” Loeffler wrote that she has never engaged in direct trading of investment accounts managed by third-party advisers, including Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs:
In its hunger to place blame, the media fixated on a fantasy of improper congressional trading, stemming from a Jan. 24 briefing I and other Senators attended with health officials. But based on contemporaneous reporting and public statements by the officials who provided the briefing, there was no material or nonpublic information discussed. All we did was meet public-health leaders and ask them questions about the emerging virus.
She referenced comments from Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut about the briefing that “what I heard in response to many questions is a tentative answer. . . . We need to know more.”
The full text of Loeffler’s op-ed was distributed to media outlets by her campaign.
Loeffler, a Republican appointed in December by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill Isakson’s unexpired term, is up for election in November.
In her op-ed, Loeffler said she expected attacks once she began her election campaign, “but these allegations go well beyond what should be considered acceptable. We have spent our entire lives building careers based on integrity and hard work.
“My family’s investment accounts are being used as weapons for an assault on my character at a time when we should all be focused on making our country safe and strong.”
The winner of the November election will serve out the final two years of Isakson’s term.
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Gov. Brian Kemp also has extended a statewide shelter-in-place order through the end of April. It was also set to expire on April 13.
Gyms, bars and places where people gather will stay closed, as will restaurants for dining service.
People are asked to limit travel for necessary shopping such as food and medical care, but to observe social distancing measures.
Churches, synagogues and other places of worship as well as funerals are allowed if no more than 10 people attend, also following social distancing protocols.
But many faith communities have been conducting virtual services for several weeks, and are doing so for Passover and Easter observances this week.
The governor’s extended order Wednesday afternoon also places further obligations on senior, nursing and long-term care homes to help stop the spread of the virus.
Many facilities have been barring visitors, serving residents meals in their rooms and cancelling group activities.
Those facilities also must now incorporate infectious disease transfer procedures with nearby hospitals.
Elderly people comprise a major number of COVID-19 cases. In Georgia, the median age of those dying from the virus is 74, and in Cobb it’s around 70.
ORIGINAL REPORT:
A public health emergency in Georgia that was set to expire on April 13 has been extended another month by Gov. Brian Kemp.
He announced Wednesday that as a result, he would not request a special session of the Georgia General Assembly, similar to a one-day session last month that approved his initial declaration, which includes an expansion of emergency powers due to the COVID-19 health crisis.
That legislative session tentatively had been scheduled for April 15. But under state law, a Georgia governor can renew a public health emergency without the approval of lawmakers.
“This measure will allow us to continue to deploy resources to communities in need, lend support to frontline medical providers, and keep preparing as we brace for potential patient surge in our healthcare facilities,” Kemp said in a statement that was jointly issued with Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and House Speaker Dennis Ralston.
“In these unprecedented times, we ask Georgians for their continued patience and prayers, especially for first responders, law enforcement, and the healthcare workers caring for the medically fragile. They are going above and beyond to keep us all safe, and we will never be able to repay them for their sacrifices.”
UPDATED: As of noon Wednesday, 9,901 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Georgia, with 362 deaths and 1,993 hospitalizations.
Cobb County has 588 confirmed cases and 29 deaths, both among the highest figures in the state. For a larger version of the map below, click here.
Georgia has tested relatively few people compared to other states, with 38,707 individuals in all. The state’s public health agency has set up drive-through testing centers around Georgia, including one at Jim Miller Park in Cobb County.
But only individuals identified in vulnerable populations, health care workers, first responders and those with a medical referral are allowed to get those tests.
The entire legislature was self-quarantined after being exposed to COVID-19 by colleagues. Among those testing positive was State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb, who is recovering after undergoing a quarantine period.
Extending the public health emergency has no bearing on a statewide shelter-in-place ordered by Kemp through April 13.
That order restricts all business and other activities to 10 people or less, observing social distancing measures.
Families and individuals must also shelter-in-place except for essential travel and business or immediate family reasons.
Those businesses or operations not deemed to be part of the “critical infrastructure” will be limited to what the order calls “minimum basic operations,” also following social distancing and hygiene and sanitation practices.
Other “personal touch” businesses also must close, including bowling alleys, cinemas and live performance theaters.
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Some major news on the Sprayberry Crossing redevelopment front:
Atlantic Residential, which had proposed a site plan for its mixed-use plans last fall, then stepped back after opposition surfaced, has announced it’s on agreement to acquire the 15 acres of land at East Piedmont Road and Sandy Plains Road where the blighted shopping center has stood for many years.
Joe Glancy, a leader of group of citizens organized on Facebook announced late Monday that the redevelopment proposal is back on again, and stated that he and Shane Spink, another group leader, “are not involved with the administration of it.”
The new Atlantic Residential plans are located at a new website, sprayberrycrossing.com, which includes fresh renderings, a video presentation and a revised site plan.
Here’s what’s being proposed now:
Atlantic Residential would add 30,000 square feet of space for a “national grocer” and slice the amount of other retail space down from around 10,000 square feet in the original site plan to 8,200 square feet;
12,000 square feet of co-working space;
177 apartment rental units (down from 195);
120 senior living residential units;
56 townhomes (down from 62);
a town green and secondary courtyard;
a walking and biking trail connecting East Piedmont Road to Post Oak Tritt Road.
The buildings would be anywhere from two to four stories with a modern classic design.
The new site plan also incorporates an existing cemetery, which had been the cause of much of the opposition. Some family members of those buried there have been adamantly against moving any remains to an area near the close-by Sandy Plains Baptist Church Cemetery.
We’ll be following up this story with more details, but Atlantic Residential for now is saying it wants to have a community presentation with public feedback.
That’s probably going to be virtual for now given the Coronavirus crisis.
These plans also willl require a zoning process that would appear to be some months away.
The tentative timeline for the redevelopment calls for demolition and site work in the first quarter of 2021 and construction ending in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Glancy said in Monday’s message to the Sprayberry Crossing Action group that in his dealings with the developers, “they have been forthright, honest and open in their dealings with me. They have given me no reason to suspect that will not continue.”
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Last year, Congregation Etz Chaim held its first Passover Seder at the synagogue on Indian Hills Parkway, a departure from the tradition of starting the solemn Jewish observance in family homes.
This year, the in-person Seder had been called off due to renovation work at Etz Chaim’s social hall. But for the last few weeks, as many faith communities have been resorting to virtual worship due to Coronavirus restrictions, the synagogue is gathering its congregation together after all, online, to mark the first night of Passover.
What Rabbi Daniel Dorsch calls a “Zoom Seder” will begin the eight days of Passover right before sundown on Wednesday. The seder is aimed at families and children but is accessible to anyone, and is part of a new ritual that has had clergy and congregants alike scrambling to get connected and share their faith.
“I’m working differently than I ever have before,” admitted Dorsch, whose synagogue has had a fairly active social media and online presence.
Like many businesses and organizations, the Etz Chaim faithful are meeting via Facebook Live streaming and on Zoom, a business teleconferencing tool that has become an increasingly popular way to stay in touch.
Many churches in East Cobb also have been using Facebook Live and Zoom in recent weeks, and are making similar plans during Holy Week this week, culminating in Easter Sunday.
Etz Chaim has used Zoom for several worship services, including Havdalah, or the end of the Shabbat, last Saturday (screenshot above).
Dorsch—who’s shown in the bottom center photo— said it’s far from ideal not to have everyone together for worship, especially during special occasions like Passover. But the changes have resulted in a few silver linings, including outreach to those who’ve been homebound.
“I’ve gotten some very touching e-mails from people saying how much they appreciate it,” he said.
“This is a time when it’s really needed.”
Recently more than 100 households connected via Zoom for a service, a strong number given Etz Chaim’s membership is at around 600 families.
Dorsch said some members who haven’t been attending in person are participating online, “so they can be in touch.”
Reverting the Seder on the first night of Passover to the home environment, he said, is a good learning opportunity for younger people to become more active in the event and absorb the rituals of the observance.
He said there are some congregants who’ve told him online worship “isn’t the same thing,” and he and other synagogue leaders have been working to contact all members by phone to see how they’re doing during what figures to be an extended absence.
Etz Chaim also has postponed bar and bat mitzvahs and other special events, although Dorsch has presided over two funerals with social distancing measures in place.
As the online Passover viewing schedule was finalized, a special e-mail went out to Etz Chaim members, wishing them a “a zissin Pesach!,” or Happy Passover.
“At least we can be together this way,” Dorsch said. “We can still be together.”
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As the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues to have unprecedented impacts on the state, Georgia Power’s suspension of disconnections is being extended following a vote by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC). The company originally announced it would suspend disconnects in mid-March for at least 30 days to assist customers through this challenging time. Today’s vote extends the decision beyond the original timeframe, assuring customers that the suspension of disconnects will remain in place as the pandemic continues to impact customers in the state.
“We recognize the extraordinary burden the COVID-19 pandemic has put upon our state and our customers,” said Paul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. “We commend the Commissioners for their vote to extend the disconnect suspension and allow for special customer payment provisions. It is going to take all of us continuing to think about how we can support each other to see our communities through this uncertain time.”
In addition to today’s measure, Georgia Power expects the PSC will vote next month on the company’s request to lower its Fuel Cost Recovery allowance, which would lower monthly bills by approximately $5 for the typical residential customer using 1,000 kwh per month, if approved. The lower rate would go into effect in June 2020.
As part of their action, the PSC is also joining Georgia Power in encouraging all customers to continue making payments to avoid large balance due amounts when the suspension ends. The company will also look to implement special payment plans to help customers catch up on past-due amounts once disconnections are reinstated based on the direction from the Commission.
Online Bill Payment Options
With Governor Kemp’s recent shelter in place order, the company reminds customers of online bill payment options. Customers can pay their bill online on GeorgiaPower.com with a credit or debit card or with a checking or savings account. The company has eliminated fees associated with credit and debit card payments. Customers can also pay via the Georgia Power Mobile App, which can be downloaded for free from both the App Store (Apple) and Google Play Store (Android).
Rate Plan Options
Georgia Power is also increasing its emphasis on rate plan offerings such as FlatBill and PrePay. FlatBill offers a fixed monthly bill regardless of a customer’s usage during the period. That means no rising bills during summer’s heat or winter’s cold – just one flat amount. PrePay puts customers in control of when they pay for their electricity and allows them to pay as they go with a PrePay account. As customers use electricity, their balance is reduced. This flexibility allows customers to better manage their budget and energy usage with no deposit requirement, no credit check and no reconnect fees. Smart Usage, Nights & Weekends and other options also help customers find a plan that fits their budget and lifestyle. Learn more at www.GeorgiaPower.com/RatePlans.
Tips, Tools & Resources
Georgia Power encourages its customers to use online tools to help manage their energy such as the My Power Usage program, a free service connected to many Georgia Power online accounts that allows customers to track their daily energy use, project their monthly bill, and set daily or monthly usage alerts.
Customers can take advantage of the company’s free Online Energy Checkup. The 15-minute quick and easy service provides a customized report to help customers understand their energy use and find ways to save money where you can use your actual power bills to give you a customized report. You will enter information about your home and family to measure how you use energy. Whether customers own a home or rent, tailored tips are available at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Save, which also includes access to a variety of rebates and incentives for both homes and businesses. Energy efficiency measures for customers include continued development and implementation of new plans and programs approved in the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan.
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Cobb County government is urging 2020 Census participation during this shelter-in-place time by sending out a response map according to public library districts.
Those living in the East Cobb and Mountain View library districts had the highest response at 59.6 and 58.5 percent, respectively, and the West Cobb and Kemp zones are the others with more than 50 percent responses.
Overall, according to a message the county sent out Monday, Cobb’s response rate is 46 percent, as of Saturday, April 4. That’s just above the national average of 45.7 percent and above the Georgia statewide rate of 43.2 percent.
The 6th Congressional District has a 50.9 percent response rate and in the map below there are a few Census tracts in East Cobb (indicated in dark blue) that have response rates of 70 percent or higher. Click here for a larger map:
Here’s more from the county’s message about what Census information is used for:
We want to ensure Cobb County has a thorough and accurate 2020 Census count, so the appropriate funds and resources are available to our community. The results of the 2020 Census will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. The data impacts Head Start programs, school lunches, plans for highways, affordable housing and support for firefighters and families in need. It also determines our representation in government.
The U.S. Census Bureau has been encouraging online participation all along, well before the Coronavirus outbreak. Details and completion forms are available by clicking here.
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Enlighten America, our annual Essay Contest for 7th thru 9th-grade students encourages respect and tolerance of our friends’ and neighbors’ diverse religious beliefs and racial/cultural backgrounds. Learn how to enter this contest by reading this document. All entries must be received by Friday, April 10, 2020. Winners will be announced in mid-May, 2020.
Winners in each grade category will receive the prizes listed below:
First-place winners will be awarded $350.
Second-place winners will be awarded $250.
Third-place winners will be awarded $150.
The Enlighten America Essay Contest serves as a framework or “model of instruction” designed to support teachers in the implementation of the Reading and Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Grades 6-8, Grades 9 and the English Language Arts (ELA) Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) (see pages 19 -25 for specific standards) for 7th grade, 8th grade, and 9th grade in the following writing skill areas:
Text Types and Purposes
Production and Distribution of Writing
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Range of Writing
We hope that schools, teachers, and students will benefit through the Enlighten America Essay Contest as a teaching and learning activity to promote student success as it relates to the Georgia Performance Standards.
You can get more details by clicking there; the organization also is noting that the awards ceremony has been rescheduled to Aug. 30 due to the Coronavirus.
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All activities at senior centers are cancelled through April, including Spring registration.
Change the Way You Age EXPO has been rescheduled to August 12.
We are seeking donations of non-perishable items and toiletries for our existing clients. Visit https://www.cobbcounty.org/public-services/news/donate-food-local-seniors for the list and feel free to share it. Note:we are only accepting donations on M W F so please call 770-528-2009 to make delivery arrangements or if you have questions.
The foods and items suggested include the following:
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Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health
The death count in Cobb County from the Coronavirus has risen by six in the last two days, to 23 as of Saturday evening.
The Georgia Department of Public Health daily status report at 7 p.m. indicated a total of 6,383 cases of COVID-19 and 208 deaths across the state.
That’s a death rate of nearly three percent, and the 1,266 hospitalizations represent a rate of nearly 20 percent of those who contract the virus.
Cobb’s 23 deaths are the third-highest in Georgia, behind Dougherty County’s 30 deaths and 26 in Fulton County. A total of 453 positive cases have been confirmed in Cobb.
Fulton now has 959 confirmed cases, Dougherty 685 and DeKalb County 539.
A total of 26,294 people have been tested in Georgia, although public health officials statewide and in Cobb have said that the availability of testing kits remains limited.
In Cobb County, the average age of those who’ve died from the virus is 69.4 years old. The two youngest victims were a 33-year-old male and a 36-year-old female with underlying medical conditions.
Cobb County heat map of Coronavirus cases as of March 30.
The oldest victim was an 87-year-old man, also with other health issues. Thirteen of the 23 Cobb victims were age 70 or older.
The Georgia DPH does not further break down below the county level where the victims lived. Earlier this week Cobb and Douglas Public Health Director Dr. Janet Memark showed a heat map that she said is not exact, but the cases appear to be spread out fairly evenly through the county.
Like many more cities, counties and locales across the country, Memark said the spike in the number of cases and deaths reflects widespread community transmission.
A Georgia shelter-in-place ordered by Gov. Brian Kemp went into effect at 6 p.m. Friday and continues through April 13.
A Cobb declaration of emergency issued last week through April 15 is being extended through April 25.
At a briefing Tuesday before the Cobb Board of Commissioners, Memark said the number of of people being tested daily at a drive-through facility at Jim Miller Park is only around 50. High-risk individuals, who are medical workers, first responders and those with a referral from a doctor, are the only ones able to get tested this way.
She said that there were 37 ventilators available and was concerned about a very high number of those in senior-living and long-term care facilities in Cobb, totalling 5,950 beds.
As more people get tested, she said the number of cases and deaths will continue to rise, but “my hope is we’re at or near the peak.”
Memark and deputy director Lisa Crossman strongly stressed shelter-in-place and social distancing tactics to reduce the spread of the virus, given those factors, and urged that public parks remain closed.
Cobb parks had been closed before the emergency declaration, and public pools also will not be opening anytime soon, with the spring almost here.
Among the businesses ordered to close in the amended emergency declaration are private gyms and fitness salons, due to the close proximity of patrons.
Lisa Crossman, Memark’s deputy director, said “taking baby steps does seem to prolong the pain” of having to proceed with restrictive measures.
Commissioner Lisa Cupid thought that allowing non-essential businesses to remain open while ordering a shelter-in-place was sending a mixed message to the public.
She and Commissioner JoAnn Birrell also were curious about how the county was going to force the mandates.
Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said “it’s bad public policy to arrest people.
“We’re in a whole new area,” he said. “We have to be sympathetic to people” who are having to hunker down in their homes, and practice social distancing when they’re out in public.
“A vast number of people in this county are complying with the emergency order,” Boyce said.
The few who do not, he added, “will get their just desserts,” in terms of possibly being exposed to the virus, among other things.
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We noted previously that the Cobb Community Foundation has begun a Community Response Fund that’s raising funds and issuing grants to a number of community service organizations specifically dealing with the effects of the Coronavirus crisis for vulnerable populations.
They’re also letting donors know that many of those organizations can receive direct support, including the delivery of health care services:
The Center for Family Resources has received a $10,000 charitable grant to support the financial needs of families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s part of a larger effort by CFR, now in its 60th year, which has launched a 60 in 60 program to raise $60,000 in 60 days to provide emergency financial assistance.
Also getting $10,000 grants from the CCF are the Cobb Schools Foundation, which has identified 1,000 students and families needing digital devices for distance learning at home, and Ser Familia, that works with the Latino community.
Some more resources, provided in the bullet points below by the office of Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell:
Cobb Senior Services is working hard to help its at-risk clients. As the COVID-19 outbreak continues for the unforeseen future, the list of needed donations has been updated to include toiletries. These seniors have no family or other community support to help them get the necessary items. To view the listed of donation suggestions, click here. Please call Merline Tippens at 770-528-5355 with questions and to make arrangements for your delivery to the Senior Services administrative offices at 1150 Powder Springs St, Marietta.
Cobb County Community Services Board (CCCSB), Behavioral Health Crisis Center (BHCC), located at 1758 County Services Parkway, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis. For more information about Cobb County Community Services Board, please visit www.cobbcsb.com.
Any organizations delivering meals or otherwise providing food should contact Cobb Community Foundation at 770-859-2366 or email CCFTeam@cobbfoundation.org.
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The Cobb outdoor burn ban that runs from May 1-Sept. 30.each year has been moved up due to the statewide shelter-in-place order. The ban now will start next Friday, April 10.
Here’s more from the county:
Leaves, pine straw, and other yard debris may NOT be burned starting that date, and the Fire Marshal’s Office will also stop the issuance of Large Yard Waste and Bonfire permits during this time. Please note there is no ban on fire bowls, chimineas, or similar devices as long as clean wood (not pressure treated, and no varnish) is being burned.
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The Avenue East Cobb management announced late Friday afternoon that its stores that are non-essential will be closed through April 13, due to the Georgia shelter-in-place orderissued by Gov. Brian Kemp.
The order begins is effective from 6 p.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. April 13.
“Select restaurants” at The Avenue will remain open, with takeout, pickup and delivery service only. They are Kale Me Crazy, Olea Oliva, Menchie’s, Panera Bread, Smallcakes and Tin Lizzie’s.
Other restaurants at The Avenue, including Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar and Stockyard Burgers & Bones, closed before the state order and a Cobb state of emergency declaration that goes through April 24.
The Michael’s craft store and the Simply Mac Apple computer store will remain open with reduced hours.
Non-essential “personal touch” businesses have been ordered to close, although many in East Cobb—hair salons, spas, barber shops, etc.—had already closed before that order.
During the shelter-in-place period, citizens are asked to stay at home, except to do essential shopping for groceries, food and medicines, to help with the care of children and the elderly in their families and act on behalf of the health and safety of those in their households.
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The district has been keeping a running update at this link, and the following are the important bullet points added about grades, etc., at all school levels:
No students’ grades at the end of the second semester can be lower than the grades received on Friday, March 13, 2020.
Give students a choice to accept their grades as of Friday, March 13, 2020 as final grades for 2019-2020 OR continue to earn grades for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year to improve their grade(s).
Report grades as pass/fail for all students in all K-8 courses. High school courses will be reported as grades for GPA calculation purposes.
Continue to provide academic, emotional, and social support for student needs for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
Allow work submitted after March 13th to be used for grades or to measure what students know. Specific directions will be provided by your principal. Any work submitted will only have a positive impact on a student’s grade(s).
Allow any student who was on track to graduate on Friday, March 13, 2020 to receive credit for all courses for which they were enrolled on or before March 13th.
That guidance, the district said, is based on recommendations from the Georgia Department of Education.
Cobb Board of Education member Charisse Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters, said in her e-mail newsletter Friday that “our efforts to move school to home should not be additional stress for our families nor the teachers. Please just do your best and we acknowledge that that will look different for each family.”
The district also indicated it was “actively evaluating all options related to graduation ceremonies,” but didn’t indicate what those options might be.
Next week is spring break, and the district had announced earlier there will be no distance learning next week.
“We often wish that we could have school for the sake of learning and we now have an opportunity to have great discussions with our kids as you make decisions as a family on how to proceed in individual classes. Regardless of whether your child chooses to improve their grade(s) or take their grade(s) as of March 13, the skills, curriculum, and learning opportunities they are exposed to will benefit them in future courses. Teachers can notify your child of their grade as of March 13. All graded assignments added to the gradebook after that date will only benefit the student’s overall final average. Any assignment not submitted after March 13 will be left blank in the gradebook. We will continue to instruct and assess until grades close out on May 20.”
He said starting the week of April 13—when spring break is over—digital learning will be reduced to four days a week, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays are for students to catch up on classwork and for teacher planning.
He also expressed sorrow for the Lassiter seniors who won’t be having a traditional commencement exercise:
“How do we say goodbye to 500 plus seniors to let them know how much we all appreciate their work, their community service, and celebrate them as the graduating class of 2020? We all truly hurt for our seniors who were looking forward to so many awesome Lassiter senior traditions. How do we properly end the school year for our exceptional freshman, sophomore, and juniors and let them know how much we are all looking forward to their leadership next school year?”
One more thing he noted, and the district has stressed this as well, is to consult the Emergency Crisis Hotline for those having difficulties adapting not only to the new learning process, but in coping with the effects of the Coronavirus crisis.
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Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce on Thursday extended an emergency declaration he ordered last week until April 24, ordered certain non-essential businesses to close and clarified the county’s “shelter in place” provisions.
Grocery stores and other essential businesses also must follow further guidelines to observe social distancing measures to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
Effective immediately, the following types of businesses must close:
Gyms, fitness and recreation centers;
Hair salons;
Barber shops;
Nail salons;
Waxing salons;
Tanning salons;
Spas;
Tattoo parlors;
Massage-therapy establishments and massage services;
All other nonessential businesses in which “social distancing” minimums of six feet between persons cannot be maintained at all times.
Many of those kinds of businesses in East Cobb—commonly called “personal touch” businesses—closed before Boyce’s emergency declaration last week, which initially was scheduled to last until April 15.
But in his order Thursday, (you can read it in its entirety here), Boyce said more businesses that stay open need to do more to help combat the contagious virus and more time needs to transpire for social distancing and other guidelines to have an effect.
Cobb’s confirmed Coronavirus case count now stands at 320, with 17 deaths, and both of those numbers are among the highest in Georgia.
In his order, Boyce also expanded the emergency declaration to require families and individuals to shelter in place at their homes, except to purchase food and to take care of the health and safety of those in their households.
They can leave to work at businesses that are deemed essential during the emergency, to go outside for exercise while maintaining social distancing guidelines, and to visit immediate family members to help with child care or elderly care.
“I want to make absolutely sure that all of our measures help slow the spread of the virus,” Boyce said in a statement released by the county late Thursday afternoon. “Our healthcare system in the county still has capacity, still has available ventilators, so it is important rather than filling those beds and using those ventilators we take all necessary measures to not use up those resources.”
Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health
Essential retail businesses that stay open, including grocery stores, will have to post signage and provide public-address updates outlining and reminding customers of social distancing mandates.
Those include maintaining a distance of least six feet between people, discouraging those who are sick from coming to the stores, and coughing into a tissue instead of the open air.
Stores must also regularly disinfect common areas and provide cleaning and disinfecting products in employee areas.
Those businesses also are being encouraged to provide “contactless” points of interaction and purchase, including placing plexiglass around cashier stations (this is happening at Publix stores) and discouraging customers from bringing reusable bags.
Grocers also are being told not to offer product samples and to prevent customers from using self-service items that are food-related.
The other essential retail stores defined in the order include that “support repair or construction work for businesses and homes, and businesses that sell products to support persons working from home, including computers, audio, electronics, IT and telecommunications equipment.”
At a commissioners’ work session Tuesday, Cobb and Douglas Public Health officials urged that county parks remain closed. They were closed before the emergency declaration, and Boyce announced on Friday they would remain so at the direction of the county manager.
Some state parks also have closed, and most federal parks are closed, including the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.
Also on Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp provided details of a statewide shelter-in-place to take effect at 6 a.m. Friday. Georgia’s caseload and death count has risen dramatically in the last week, to 5,348 and 163 respectively, with nearly 20 percent of confirmed cases involving hospitalization.
Both Boyce and Kemp had been reluctant to shut down businesses, and the governor had come under increasing pressure, with only a few states not already having shelter-in-place orders.
The order he signed Thursday restricts all business and other activities to 10 people or less, observing social distancing measures. Families and individuals must also shelter-in-place except for essential travel and business or immediate family reasons.
Those businesses or operations not deemed to be part of the “critical infrastructure” will be limited to what the order calls “minimum basic operations,” also following social distancing and hygiene and sanitation practices.
Other “personal touch” businesses also must close, including bowling alleys, cinemas and live performance theaters.
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