Coronavirus In Alpharetta/Milton: Latest Updates, Closures

ALPHARETTA, GA — The state of Georgia has reported more than 700 new cases of the coronavirus Thursday, and 24 more deaths.

Across the state, now 5,348 patients have been confirmed sick with the coronavirus. Of those, 1,056, almost 20 percent, are sick enough to require emergency treatment at the hospital.

Of the counties in Georgia, Fulton has the most cases with 712 and 22 deaths. It is followed by Dougherty which is reporting 507 cases and 29 deaths, and then Dekalb which has seen 396 people sickened and six deaths.

Cases in Fulton County

As of noon Thursday, there have been 712 cases of coronavirus in Fulton County and 22 deaths, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The Fulton County deaths are reported as:

Fulton County: Stay home or risk jail time

Fulton county says anyone who breaks the Fulton County Board of Health's stay-at-home order could end up facing a year in jail or a thousand dollar fine.

Under the order, county residents are required to stay at home unless they work for select essential businesses or are leaving for critical reasons like to buy food. Residents can walk, run or bike or most other outdoor activities as long as they keep a safe social distance of six feet between themselves and all others.

New directory for open or closed businesses

There's been widespread confusion over what is and isn't closed by the coronavirus pandemic. To help, Patch has set up a simple open-or-closed directory to help business owners share their status with customers.

Businesses who want to report their status can find more information here. We're going to publish the directory on Patch, in our local email newsletters and on our local Facebook pages to ensure that as many community members as possible know the status of your business.

Meanwhile customers who want to know if their favorite local businesses are still up and running can find the directory here.

Alpharetta isues state of emergency declaration

City leaders in Alpharetta held an emergency meeting Wednesday night and then the next day decided to declare a state of emergency over the coronavrius outbreak. The new shelter-in-home order:

• Directs everyone to shelter in place
• Requires some to isolate or quarantine
• Bans all non-essential travel
• Bans gatherings of 10 or more people
• Close all non-essential city facilities
• Closes select businesses

Schools go online for the rest of the year

After initially closing all schools until March 31, Gov Kemp has now extended the closure of all public schools in Georgia to close schools through the end of this school year. All classes will be finished through remote learning only.

The University System of Georgia has also announced that all 26 of its schools will be going online for the rest of the semester.

Other local news, closures and changes

In Alpharetta:

• The Alpharetta Convention and Visitor's Bureau is updating a list of businesses open and closed online.
• In-person dining (includes inside, patios, rooftops, etc.) at restaurants and other licensed public establishments is prohibited. However, take-out orders are allowed and can be accompanied the sale of beer and wine in sealed containers.
• All other businesses should utilize work from home and telecommuting strategies whenever possible and in any event must ensure that social distancing of at least 6 feet is maintained between every person if a gathering of 10 or more people occurs.
• All use of all city playgrounds, sports fields, courts, bathrooms and facilities are prohibited, but public use of trails and open spaces are permitted as long as people do not gather in groups of more than 10.
• All city buildings are closed to the public through April 12.
• All meetings of the city's boards and commissions are cancelled through April 12.
• Meetings of the Alpharetta City Council will be conducted electronically.
• The city is closing its Adult Activity Center, which provides recreation programs to seniors, until further notice.
• The public is reminded that many city services such as filing for most permits, paying utility and tax bills, and reporting service needs such as potholes, code enforcement violations, and traffic issues can always be done online by visiting https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/report-pay-apply. Many non-emergency police services can also be accessed online at https://p2c.alpharetta.ga.us/p2c/.
• All public special events organized or sponsored by the City of Alpharetta or for which a City of Alpharetta special events permit has been issued or is required are cancelled through April 12. All indoor and outdoor rentals of city facilities are also cancelled for this period.
• Visit the city's COVID-19 response website, https://alpharettadps.blogspot.com/, for additional response measures as well as the latest guidance and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal, state, and county public health agencies.
• Alpharetta American Legion Post 201 sponsored dances and bingo, as well as any other meeting hall activities are also canceled for the next two weeks. The Alpharetta American Legion Post 201 is also extending until April 30 the deadline for submitting applications for its annual college scholarship program. The $1,000 scholarships are awarded to individuals based on scholastic excellence, community service and school activities. In addition, applicants must submit an original minimum 500 word essay on the topic: "What the word veteran means to me." Applicants must be sponsored by a member of the American Legion and may obtain an application by contacting Scholarship Chairman Tom Billings at tombill03@comcast.net.

In Milton:

• Milton permits the equivalent of "take-out" alcohol sales at Milton table-service restaurants - so that customers can purchase sealed bottles of wine and beer without having to go inside. This also means restaurant owners would not have to apply for "package" permits.
• City authorized restaurants with on-premise alcohol consumption licenses to defer their monthly excise tax payments for "by-the-drink" sales through April 30.
• Milton allows reasonable new temporary signs, allowing establishments to bypass the normal permitting process and the need to walk into city hall.
• Milton extended the deadline renewing Occupational Tax Certificates - a.k.a. business licenses - from March 31 through April 30.
• The City of Milton is open for business. But if you can handle any city-related issues online or over the phone, do so
  • Call the City: 678-242-2500
  • Email the City: info@cityofmiltonga.us
  • Pay Your Taxes Online
  • Pay a Ticket or Fine Online
  • Business Licensing
  • Request a Police Report Online
• All city facilities are closed to the public, including city hall, fire stations, and police headquarters, through April 16.
• Closed Parks
  • BELL MEMORIAL PARK: All six fields and the playground are closed, and bathrooms are locked. The southernmost parking lot is locked, while the northernmost one is open for those wishing to walk the park's trails.
  • BETHWELL COMMUNITY CENTER: CLOSED
  • BROADWELL PAVILION: CLOSED
  • COX ROAD ATHLETIC FACILITY: CLOSED
  • FORMER MILTON COUNTRY CLUB: CLOSED
  • FRIENDSHIP COMMUNITY PARK: CLOSED
• Milton's trails remain open to the public.
• The Milton Police Department has instituted some precautions to protect both the public and officers during the current environment, including asking citizens to conduct routine matters online or by phone rather than visiting the police department.
  • For non-emergency police services, call Milton's dispatch line 24/7 at 678-297-6300, Option 1. If in doubt about which means to contact the police, call 911
  • To ask a routine question, email pdinfo@cityofmiltonga.us
  • To reach the Milton Police Department administrative offices during regular business hours, call 678-242-2570 or 678-242-2770
  • As possible, Milton Police officers will take reports over the phone once complainant contact information has been received by either the dispatch center or police administrative staff
• Milton Municipal Court: not in session through April 12
• All Milton Parks and Recreation programming is canceled through April 12