Solar Eclipse 2017: Bartow Health Department To Close Early

ROME, GA -- The Georgia Department of Public Health's Northwest Health District office in Rome and health departments in Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk and Walker counties will close early "in the interest of public safety" during the solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21.

The county health departments will close at noon and the district office will close at 1 p.m., the agency said Tuesday. The closing will apply to all public health services in the district, including environmental health, WIC and Children's Health services.

Tuesday's announcement follows just weeks after the Bartow County and Cartersville City school systems announcing plans to delay the release of its students on the same day (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

If you are planning to take part in this historic moment, NASA’s additional recommendations for safe eclipse viewing are:

• Stand still, and put on your eclipse glasses before looking up at the eclipse. Turn away to remove your eclipse glasses — do not remove them while looking at the sun.
• Do not look at the eclipse through a camera, a telescope or binoculars while using your eclipse glasses — the sun will damage the filter and your eyes.
• Always inspect your eclipse glasses before use; if they are scratched or damaged, do not use.
• Supervise children viewing the eclipse.
• Remove your eclipse glasses only when the moon completely covers the sun and it gets dark. Then, as soon as the sun begins to reappear, put your eclipse glasses back on.

The last time the U.S. saw a total eclipse was in 1979. During this year’s eclipse, the moon will fully block the sun for two minutes and 40 seconds. Only the northeast corner of Georgia will experience this; the rest of the state will see a partial eclipse. The moon will pass between the Earth and the sun, blocking all or part of the sun, for up to three hours.

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You can learn more about safely viewing the solar eclipse at :https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety.

Image via Shutterstock