For the sixth time since the COVID-19 crisis began in March, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has extended the state’s public health emergency and safety measures that prevent large gatherings.
Both of those provisions were due to expire Monday. As he has in the past, Kemp extended them on the very last day. The public health emergency will continue to Oct. 10, while the other measures were renewed to Sept. 15.
The latter executive order “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.”
The public health emergency sets provisions to enhance coordinated response from government and the public sector for supplies, testing and health care capacity.
Kemp did not explain why these orders are being extended, but a release issued by his press office said COVID-related hospitalizations are at their lowest point in Georgia since early July and the statewide test positivity rate also has gone down over the last month.
On Monday, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported 1,523 new confirmed cases of the virus and 28 more deaths, but only 32 additional hospitalizations.
Overall, 270,471 COVID cases have been confirmed in the state, along with 5,632 deaths.
In Cobb County, a case spike in July has been followed by a steady descent, both in terms of date of report and “date of onset,” indicated in the graphic above, which indicates when a positive case is confirmed.
Cobb has a total of 16,966 cases, and 391 deaths. The latter is the second-highest total in Georgia, and among the victims was a one-year-old boy who is the youngest to die from the virus.
Cobb reported 90 new cases on Monday and no new deaths.
Another important metric is cases per 100,000. In Cobb on Monday, the 14-day average had dropped to 236 cases per 100,000. Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale has said he’d like that figure to get as close as possible to 100 cases per 100,000—which is considered high community spread—before reopening schools.
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- Kemp issues order allowing local mask mandates
- 60 percent of all East Cobb COVID cases reported in July
- The East Cobb Open for Business Directory
- East Cobb News COVID-19 Resource Page
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