Coronavirus: Forsyth County Declares State Of Emergency

FORSYTH COUNTY, GA — Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Chairman Laura Semanson signed a declaration of local emergency, effective March 18. The declaration calls for all available resources of the county to be used as necessary to cope with the impact of coronavirus on Forsyth County.

Beginning Thursday, March 19, the following Forsyth County government buildings are closed to the public:

• Administration Building
• All County offices at West Maple
• Animal Shelter
• Code Compliance

The County Administration Building, 110 E. Main Street, will be open during Board of Commissioner meetings and work sessions.

“By declaring a State of Emergency, the county will be able to utilize personnel and financial resources to proactively ensure the safety of county residents,” Semanson said.

For more on the county’s response to coronavirus including county closures, postponements and cancellations, visit Forsythco.com/COVID-19.

See more: Forsyth County: What's Open, Closed Amid Coronavirus Concerns

GA Senator Tests Positive For Coronavirus; Lt. Gov. Isolates

State Senator Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, said on Wednesday that he tested positive for coronavirus. Beach was at the Georgia Capitol on Monday for the special session.

He will now be in a 14-day quarantine at home. Beach released a statement:

"After experiencing a fever and cough, I sought medical attention last week. The diagnosis I was given was not coronavirus, but I did get tested for it on Saturday. With medication, I felt better by Monday and thought I was in the clear. Today, however, my test came back positive.

For now, I'm at home. I continue to suffer from a fever and cough, but I'm following doctor's orders, including the admonition to stay away from the hospital unless it becomes difficult to breathe. I know many Georgians are praying hard as we weather this crisis together, and frankly, I'd ask that they pray for me, as well as all the others in our state who are going through this right now – and those who soon will.

I know I face a difficult two weeks, but I'll work to keep everyone updated on my progress. With the support of my wife – who is keeping a safe distance and so far doesn't have symptoms – and my family and friends, I know I'll get through this and get back to work for my constituents."

Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan released a statement Wednesday that said he will be in self-quarantine due to the positive test results from Beach.

GA Coronavirus: 10 Deaths, 287 Cases; Emergency Ordinances Set

New numbers released Thursday from the Georgia Department of Public Health show there have been 10 deaths and 287 cases of coronavirus across the state.

With the new cases, the DPH released the numbers of tests taken across the state, which totaled more than 1,800.

There have been 1,323 tests done in a commercial lab, with 174 coming in positive. The Department of Public Health Lab has done 508 tests, and had 113 positives.

The number of confirmed and presumed positive cases of COVID-19 rose from 197 on Wednesday to 287 cases in 28 counties on Thursday.

Fulton County has the most cases in the state with 66, followed by Cobb County with 37, Bartow with 26, DeKalb with 22, Dougherty with 20, Cherokee with 16, Gwinnett with 12, Fayette with nine, and Clarke with eight.

Globally, more than 222,000 people have been infected and more than 9,100 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Thursday. Of that total, more than 9,400 confirmed cases are in the United States. There have been 150 deaths in the U.S. have been tied to the virus outbreak, as of Thursday morning.