Coronavirus: Roswell Adopts Emergency Operations Ordinance

ROSWELL, GA — The Roswell City Council adopted an Emergency Operations Ordinance Tuesday that puts in place temporary measures to allow the local government to more quickly respond to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. The ordinance guarantees the continued provision of essential services and also allows for Roswell's elected officials to conduct meetings, including binding votes, via teleconference.

The mayor and council of the City of Roswell hereby declare that an emergency affecting life, health, property, and public peace exists within the City of Roswell due to the coronavirus global pandemic;

The following provisions shall govern the operation of the city during the COVID-19
pandemic:

• The operation of essential services, including, but not limited to, those related to public safety and as otherwise determined now or hereafter by the mayor and/or city administrator after advising the city council, shall continue during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
• All public hearings or meetings of the City Council, or any inferior board, committee, or commission of the city shall be and are hereby stayed, tolled, and postponed until this Resolution is repealed or expires; and
• All votes of the council permitted, allowed, or required under the Charter of the City of Roswell, Georgia or the Code of the City of Roswell, Georgia may be conducted in absentia by teleconference in accordance with State law without any meeting formalities; and
• Four or more members of the city council participating by teleconference shall constitute a quorum and shall be authorized to transact emergency business of the city council; and
• The Mayor of the City of Roswell, Georgia shall be empowered to effectuate any vote conducted in accordance with this Resolution; and
• The City Administrator is authorized under Section 2.3.6 of the Roswell Code of Ordinances to award contracts and make purchases for purposes of meeting this pandemic provided said Code Section is followed; and
• All ordinances not directly affected by this resolution shall remain in full effect within the city including all Emergency Management Services.

See more: Roswell: 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.