8 COVID-19 Cases In Clarke; Oconee Piedmont Campus Begins Testing

The Georgia Department of Health reported Thursday that Clarke County has eight confirmed cases of COVID-19, up from five on Wednesday. Barrow County has a single case, first reported on Tuesday.

According to the Department of Health report, Oconee County still has no confirmed cases, but the Oconee County web site reports a potential exposure of an employee at the County landfill off U.S. 441 in the far south of the county.

Although no employees are displaying symptoms at this time, all collection attendants have been sent into quarantine for two weeks, according to the county.

All Oconee County Government Buildings were closed to the public Wednesday and will remain closed until at least April 1, according to the county announcement.

Watkinsville closed City Hall Thursday afternoon until further notice.

Piedmont’s Oconee Campus on Virgil Langford Road and Jennings Mill Road now has a drive-through COVID-19 testing site, according to a joint Facebook posting by Spencer Frye, Houston Gaines and Marcus Wiedower, who represent Clarke and Oconee counties in the Georgia House of Representatives.

The three legislators noted the Department of Public Health’s report of the eight cases in Clarke County and the single case in Barrow and said “we anticipate this number is much higher” and said that they are “working hard to increase testing options for patients.”

For more on the story, please go to Oconee County Observations.