GA Public Health Drill Postponed Over Coronavirus Concerns

HIRAM, GA—A public health emergency preparedness exercise scheduled for later this month has now been delayed following the recent coronavirus outbreak in Georgia.

The event was supposed to be a week-long, statewide, full-scale emergency-preparedness exercise, officials said.

"Due to the evolving COVID-19 response involving public health and other state and local agencies, the scheduled March 26 emergency preparedness exercise, in which many Paulding County agencies were participating, has been postponed and will be rescheduled later," Paulding County officials said in a news release.

The Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, Georgia State Patrol, Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service, and numerous law enforcement as well as first responder agencies in Paulding County were all involved in the planning and the participation of the exercise.

According to officials, the exercise, which is part of a statewide plan to bolster preparedness for a public health emergency, would have tested an agency's ability to assist public health officials in quickly distributing medication to the entire population in the event of a public health emergency.

On Monday, officials confirmed Georgia’s first cases of the coronavirus involving two residents of Fulton County who live in the same household. One recently returned from Italy. Officials said both have mild symptoms and have been isolated at home with other relatives to keep the illness from spreading.

“We knew that Georgia would likely have confirmed cases of COVID-19, and we planned for it. The immediate risk of COVID-19 to the general public, however, remains low at this time,” said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H, DPH commissioner. “I cannot emphasize enough the need for all Georgians to follow the simple precautions that DPH always urges to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses.”

COVID-19 spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms appear within two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, and difficulty breathing. Those considered at risk for contracting the virus are individuals with travel to areas where there are ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 or individuals in close contact with a person infected with COVID-19.

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