Starting Wednesday, Cobb County government will transition to what’s being called “limited operations status,” closing most of its facilities to the public and having non-essential employees work from home.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners approved an emergency closure policy Monday at a special called meeting.
The commissioners also postponed their monthly zoning hearing, which was to have taken place on Tuesday. That has been pushed back to an indefinite date; an April 7 Cobb Planning Commission meeting and April 15 Board of Zoning Appeals meeting also have been postponed.
Department heads and public health officials updated commissioners about their preparations in response to the Coronavirus outbreak, which has hit Cobb County especially hard.
As of noon Monday, Cobb had 22 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, and Georgia’s total has risen to 121. Fulton has the most cases of any county in the state, with 27, followed by Cobb.
The new status for Cobb government goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and will end when County Manager Rob Hosack deems it safe to do so.
Most lobbies in county government buildings that are open to the public will be closed. Departments that accept payments will be making arrangements to collect via other methods.
Here’s what else will be changing starting Wednesday, per a release issued by Cobb government:
- Lobbies that must stay open will limit access to indoor spaces and require a six-foot buffer between employees and other patrons;
- Libraries, senior centers and recreational facilities will remain closed throughout this period. Outdoor parks will remain accessible, and any restroom facilities at those parks will undergo cleaning at regular intervals;
- Cobb County’s administration building at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta will be closed to the public with access by essential employees only;
- Cobb County courthouses will remain open to handle essential matters to ensure due process and to protect the community.
Department heads in Cobb government are to determine which employees are essential and which will be teleworking.
The zoning hearing agenda included 10 full cases to be heard, excluding consent items.
“These are public hearings and we can’t tell people to stay home,” commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb said. “We’re denying them their due process to speak if they’re uncomfortable coming.”
Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb said he’s heard from individuals who feel the same way, and Chairman Mike Boyce said having a public meeting while the county government acts to restrict public access runs counter to efforts to mitigate the spread of the disease.
A motion to postpone the zoning hearing passed by a unanimous 5-0 vote.
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County services will continue to be provided, and Cobb public safety operations will continue to be fully staffed.
Also continuing is the Meals on Wheels program provided by Cobb Senior Services, according to William Tanks, Director of Public Services.
He was asked by Birrell about cleaning efforts at county facilities, which currently is done twice a year.
“This would be a good opportunity to do a deep cleaning,” he said.
Sharon Stanley, Director of Support Services, said senior centers are being cleaned daily, with a deep cleaning on the weekends and a “misting” of common areas.
Deep cleaning is being done when there’s a facility with a suspected exposure, as was the case last week at the West Cobb Regional Library.
She said that if there’s a confirmed exposure, a third-party vendor will perform a cleaning according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for Coronavirus.
When South Cobb Commissioner Lisa Cupid asked if there have been any confirmed cases at Cobb government facilities, Stanley said “we’ve had contacts” but no confirmed cases.
The Cobb Community Development Department is continuing with inspections but is sending code enforcement violations via mail and is delaying fines for business licenses not renewed on time.
At the end of the meeting, Boyce said he would be reluctant to act now on mandated closings of businesses.
“It’s something we don’t want to do, and we shouldn’t do it without close consultation”[from other commissioners],” he said.
Not long after he spoke, the mayor of Atlanta and DeKalb County CEO were considering mandates to close restaurants, as has been done in other states.
In East Cobb, some restaurant owners were offering additional delivery and pickup options and changing their opening hours.
The Georgia legislature on Monday approved measures in a special session to give Gov. Brian Kemp increased powers to address the Coronavirus outbreak, but he has not called for any mandated business closings.
On Saturday, he declared a public health emergency in Georgia.
Late Monday afternoon, Kemp signed an executive order mandating that public K-12 and secondary schools be closed until March 31.
Cobb schools announced last week it would be closing, starting Monday, until further notice.
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