Top East Cobb 2020 stories: Living in a time of pandemic

Cobb small business grant applications — *An empty parking lot at The Avenue East Cobb on Sunday, March 15, after a state shelter-in-place order was issued.*

A positive case of COVID-19 at Keheley Elementary School on March 11 prompted the first closure in Cobb County related to the Coronavirus outbreak.

It was supposed to be a 14-day closure, but the following day the Cobb County School District announced it was closing all schools until further notice.

That closure lasted through the end of the school year, with virtual instruction only. Students didn’t return to classrooms in Cobb until October, as the virus roared through the county for months, piling up some of the highest case and death figures in Georgia.

The first COVID-19 death took place in Cobb County, and the youngest death took place here as well—a one-year-old boy who had underlying health issues.

In between, more than 36,000 positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Cobb, and nearly 600 deaths related to the virus.

On March 14, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a statewide state of emergency that closed many small businesses such as bars, restaurants, personal care salons and arts venues.

More than nine months later, Cobb, like most communities, is still recovering from the economic, educational and social impact of the shutdowns.

Cobb commissioners voted to spend $50 million, the largest chunk of $132 million in federal CARES Act funding to provide relief grants to more than 3,000 small businesses.

East Cobb businesses like Intrigue Salon came up with creative ways to stay connected to their customers while they were closed, providing drive-up pickup of pre-ordered products.

Commissioners also approved funding for local non-profits who provide food and basic living essentials, and for mortgage and rental assistance.

By the early summer, when case numbers began rising again, Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce was reluctant to issue a mask mandate. While urging citizens to wear them in public, he said he said he didn’t think he could get his colleagues to go along with it, nor did he want to expend public safety resources to enforce a mandate if they did.

Countless community events were cancelled from March through the end of the year, including the EAST COBBER parade for the first time ever, as well as many venerable holiday craft shows and events in East Cobb.

After Cobb schools began the 2020-21 school year online only—after making plans to start with face-to-face instruction—parents expressed frustration not only with the switch, but also the frequent technology issues at the beginning.

Amy Henry, the mother of four students in the Walton High School cluster, led a public campaign for in-person instruction, saying that “the damage we’re doing to kids [by not being in school] is immense. We’re creating a generation that’s fearful of the world.”

As cases rose again in Cobb in December, the school district finished out the final two days of the fall semester online-only.

In November, the Atlanta Regional Commission released a survey indicating that 13 percent of Cobb residents either had lost jobs or were furloughed since March.

Organizations involved in aiding those affected by the shutdowns have never faced greater challenges, and anticipate providing assistance well into 2021.

As 2020 came to a close, nearly 9,000 COVID-19 cases had been confirmed in East Cobb, with more than 120 deaths.

Before Christmas, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital got its first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines.

On New Year’s Eve, Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Health, said vaccines for first responders and people 65 and older will be available starting Jan. 11.

As 2020 also neared an end, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church announced it would be going ahead with the 33rd running of its Polar Bear Run on Jan. 30.

Like those gatherings that have managed to take place, there will be some differences due to safety protocols.

More: The East Cobb News Coronavirus Resource Page.