Through
no COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed in Bulloch County, Bulloch Academy
announced Saturday the school would close for the next two weeks as a precautionary
step.
“We will be monitoring the situation closely and will update
our families as the situation progresses,” said Morgan Conner, public relations
director for Bulloch Academy, which will be closed through March 29.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s governor warned Saturday that COVID-19
infections are increasing in the state as he signed an emergency declaration
unlocking sweeping powers to fight the disease threat.
Republican Brian Kemp said
the number of cases caused by the new coronavirus rose to 66 Saturday from 42
on Friday, which he said was the largest numerical increase in a 24-hour-period
since Georgia detected its first case.
“In Bartow, Cobb and DeKalb
counties, the number of cases doubled overnight,” Kemp said. “We have
to remain vigilant, especially for our most vulnerable populations.”
A 67-year-old man who died
earlier this week at a Marietta hospital was the first Georgia fatality, and
cases so far are concentrated in metro Atlanta and northwest Georgia. The
governor said he was signing the emergency declaration in part because he fears
a surge in cases that might overwhelm the state’s hospitals.
“The capacity of our health
care system remains at the forefront of my mind as we prepare for local
transmission,” Kemp said.
Kemp said the state Public Health Department was currently
performing 100 tests a day, with plans to ramp up capacity to 200 tests a day
by the end of next week. He also said independent test sites would be set up
next week in various parts of the state.
Also, the state has set up a website to track COVID-19 in Georgia: https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report
School,
church closings
In the Saturday speech, the governor renewed his call for
churches, synagogues and temples to join schools and others in preventing
public gatherings.
“We have called on
faith-based organizations to consider cancellation of services to mitigate the
risk of transmission,” Kemp said.
First Baptist Church of Statesboro announced Saturday afternoon
that Sunday services would be streamed only and asked church members to remain
at home.
Already, school districts covering about 1.3 million of
Georgia’s 1.8 million public school students have announced closures. Most are
closed for at least two weeks beginning Monday, with hopes of teaching online.
All districts in metro Atlanta are closed, although school systems in some
other parts of the state including Augusta and Columbus remain open.
Bulloch County public schools announced Friday they would remain
open, for now, and monitor the situation closely, said Hayley Greene, public
relations director for the school system.
Georgia Southern University and East Georgia State College are
on spring break and will suspend instruction and classes through March 29. The
University System of Georgia has asked all state colleges and universities to study
and refine their capability of teaching classes online during the next two
weeks.
Ogeechee Technical College, which also is on spring break,
announced no suspension of classes on campus, at this time, but would monitor
the situation moving forward.
Special
session
Kemp called for a special session of the
General Assembly to convene Monday to ratify the emergency action through a
joint resolution. More than 20 states have declared emergencies over the virus.
Kemp’s
move Saturday constitutes Georgia’s first ever public health emergency, state
officials said.
“I do
not take this action lightly,’’ Kemp said. “We must remain supportive of one
another [and] pray for our fellow Americans. We are in this fight together.’’
The
Georgia declaration follows President Trump’s declaration Friday of a national
emergency to free up $50 billion in federal resources to combat coronavirus.
Trump
said he was “urging every state to set up emergency operations centers
effective immediately.”
All the
states but one have reported positive tests for COVID-19, with more than 2,500
cases across America. At least 51 people have died — 37 in Washington state,
which now reports at least 568 cases; five in California, two in Florida, one
each in Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, New Jersey and South Dakota. Two other
deaths were reported, but not the states.
Bulloch County decision
County Manager Tom Couch announced
Saturday that “I
will invoke my vested authority as Chief Budget Officer, and within the county
procurement policies to initially set-aside $100,000 for the Bulloch County
Health Department for emergency purchases necessary for COVID-19 mitigation.”
Couch
said the funds would be set aside for “emergency purchases needed for strictly
public health purposes … Though the local threat is low, it is a precautionary
step. Going forward, I will ask the Board of Commissioners for additional
increments if it should become necessary.
I
have recommended that we will rely on the Bulloch County Health Department to
determine where these local funds should be applied, if needed.”
