Gov. Brian Kemp has again extended a public health emergency in Georgia first ordered in March, and is continuing certain safety precautions related to COVID-19 mitigation.
On Wednesday he extended the public health emergency for another month, through Nov. 9, that sets provisions to enhance coordinated response from government and the public sector for supplies, testing and health care capacity.
The “Empowering a Healthy Georgia” provision goes through Oct. 16 and “continues to require social distancing, bans gatherings of more than 50 people unless there is six feet between each person, outlines mandatory criteria for businesses, and requires sheltering in place for those living in long-term care facilities and the medically fragile, among other provisions.”
Those orders were set to expire at midnight Thursday.
One of the changes in the new order allows restaurant employees who have tested positive for the virus to return to work if they are symptom-free for 24 hours. Previously, that period was three days.
Georgia has had 318,026 COVID cases as of Wednesday, and 7,021 deaths. In Cobb County, there have been 19,740 cases and 427 deaths.
But the rate of new cases has dropped steadily since the summer. Cobb County now has a 14-day average of 126 cases per 100,000. Public health officials consider 100 cases per 100,000 “high community spread.”
In Cobb County, public health officials continue to urge citizens to observe hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing practices.
They’re also suggesting that people get flu shots before the winter sets in, and that people aged 65 and over get pneumonia shots.
Of Cobb’s COVID 427 deaths, nearly 75 percent have been people 70 or older, and nearly 94 percent have been 50 and older. Eighty-two percent of those who have died have had known underlying health conditions regardless of age.
Related Content
- Cobb COVID cases falling close to spread threshold
- Cobb COVID deaths top 400; 20 percent in East Cobb
- Cobb one-year-old is youngest COVID victim in Georgia
- Cobb continues “nice mask ask” in lieu of mandate
- East Cobb long-term care homes holding steady on COVID cases
- 60 percent of all East Cobb COVID cases reported in July
- East Cobb News COVID-19 Resource Page
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