Community Corner

Coronavirus Update In Atlanta: Restaurants Open, Cases In Town

Here are the latest local updates on how the coronavirus outbreak is impacting Atlanta as of Friday, April 3.

ATLANTA, GA— The coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the Atlanta area. Schools are closed for the remainder of the academic year, nonessential businesses have been ordered to temporarily close, a ban has been placed on large gatherings, and more. The order is a way to prevent the risk of the coronavirus spreading in Georgia, according to officials.

As of Friday morning, there have been 176 deaths in the state and more than 5,400 cases in the state. Fulton County's 747 cases are the most of any Georgia locality. The next highest totals are 521 in Dougherty County, DeKalb with 409 cases, Cobb with 341 cases, Gwinnett with 303 cases, Bartow with 153 cases, Carroll with 139 cases and Clayton with 165 cases.

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Of those counties, Dougherty has the most deaths in the state with 30. Fulton has had 23 deaths, Cobb had 17, Lee and Clarke both have had seven. Gwinnett and DeKalb, eight, Bartow, Cherokee and Fayette, each had four. Houston, five and Clayton had six, and Henry, Coweta, Terrell, Rockdale, Chatham, three, and Floyd and Barrow each had two deaths. Douglas and Sumter had three.

Of Georgia's coronavirus cases, 58 percent are between ages 18 and 59, while those above the age of 60 make up 36 percent. People up to age 17 represent 1 percent of cases, and the remaining percentage of cases have unknown ages.

Find out what's happening in Atlantafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The Georgia Department of Public Health is now including details of the deaths.

The oldest person to die in Georgia from coronavirus was a 95-year-old man from Baker County. It is unknown if he had underlying medical conditions, the report shows.

The youngest person was an 11-year-old boy from DeKalb County with underlying medical conditions, according to the DPH.

Here is what happened Thursday in Georgia: GA Coronavirus: 24 New Deaths, Over 1,000 Hospitalized

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Gov. Brian Kemp ordered Georgia public schools to stay closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. He initially said they would be closed through April 24. Now the Fulton County School district is working on an alternative to a traditional graduation ceremony for this year's senior class.

The district's food distribution schedule for students and families will be closed for Spring Break, April 6-10.

Atlanta Public School Superintendent Dr. Meria Joel Carstarphen they have arranged for families to pick up a weekly supply of shelf-stable groceries Saturday from 9 a.m. to Noon, while supplies last, at five anchor sites:
  • Bunche Middle School - 1925 Niskey Lake Rd., SW, Atlanta, GA 30331
  • Cleveland Avenue Elementary School - 2672 Old Hapeville Rd., SW, Atlanta, GA 30315
  • Douglass High School - 225 Hamilton E Holmes Dr., NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
  • Phoenix Academy (formerly Alonzo Crim High School) - 256 Clifton St., SE, Atlanta,GA 30317
  • Sylvan Hills Middle School - 1461 Sylvan Rd., SW, Atlanta, GA 30310

People should come prepared to carry four bags of heavy food items

Beginning Monday, April 13, the district will be streamlining its meal distribution from providing meals five days a week to providing meals one day a week each Monday from 10

a.m. to noon via drive thru.

The same amount of food as the daily service will still be provided.

Drive-thru service and walk up for service will be available at each site. Students will be provided with five-day meal bags, containing five breakfast meals and five lunch meals each Monday. Those meals will be available at 10 school sites

The five-day breakfast and lunch meals will be delivered through its bus delivery service only on Monday using the same route schedule.A bag of weekly groceries will also be available for families at our five anchor sites (Bunche Middle School, Cleveland Avenue Elementary School, Douglass High School, Phoenix Academy, and Sylvan Hills Middle School).Volunteers can sign up at any of the food distribution sites online.

CITY OF ATLANTA

Fewer than 10 people are allowed in nonessential businesses that require direct human contact like nail salon services, beauty salon services, massage services and churches.

Early voting has been suspended. The Georgia Presidential Preference Primary and Special Election is now scheduled for May 19. For details on voting, visit the Secretary of State website.
All public meetings, events and outreach activities are canceled or postponed at this time. The Board of Commissioners' regular and recess meetings will continue as scheduled. Proclamation presentations will be canceled.

  • The following Fulton County services are closed to the public:
    • Arts Centers
    • Senior Centers
    • Libraries
    • Wolf Creek Amphitheater
    • Training Centers for individuals with developmental disabilities
    • Animal Control Facility (adoptions)
    • Greenbriar Mall and North Fulton Service Center Tax Commissioner Offices
  • The Atlanta Judicial Circuit has issued an order declaring a judicial emergency in Fulton County. Effective March 16, no jurors or grand jurors should report, and no jury trials will be held for 30 days.
    • The library is asking that patrons not return books during this closure. Library staff will adjust due dates and waive fines.
    • Digital resources such as Hoopla, Libby, Overdrive, Freegal, and more are always available online.

Libraries: All Fulton County libraries are closed until further notice. Scheduled events have been canceled. Digital resources are still available.

Post Office: Post offices in Atlanta are still open. The US Postal Service is closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and continues to follow strategies and measures recommended by the CDC and public health departments. There is a temporary suspension of the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International destined for China and Hong Kong. Customers may see delays in mail and packages destined to China as well as from China.

Georgia Aquarium: Closed
Children's Museum of Atlanta: Closed
Gym: Closed

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