Coronavirus: Shelter In Place Begins for Roswell

ROSWELL, GA — 21 more people have died of the coronavirus in Georgia as of Friday. The news brings the dealt toll to 184 deaths total. Meanwhile a total of 5,831 patients are confirmed to have the virus, of which 1,158 are hospitalized for emergency treatment.

As the coronavirus threat grew, Gov. Brian Kemp ordered a shelter in place order beginning Friday afternoon and running through at least April 13. Under the order, everyone except essential workers must remain home, and should not leave unless they are gathering to get important supplies, food, or see a doctor. Residents can also go out on walks or jogs but must keep at least six feet away from each other.

Related: What You Can, Can't Do Under Georgia's Stay At Home Order

Cases in Fulton County
As of the latest release Friday, there have been 882 cases of coronavirus in Fulton county, and 23 deaths. That makes Fulton the county with the largest number of cases, followed by Dougherty with 560 cases and 30 deaths and Dekalb County with 448 cases and 8 deaths.

Roswell mayor issues order to enforce shelter in place

Mayor Lori Hnery has issued a executive order matching Governor Brian Kemp's order to shelter in place through April 13. Under the new order the city of Roswell is closing:

• Old Mill Park
• Barrington Hall grounds
• Hearth of Roswell Park
• Bulloch Hall grounds

The mayor's order also bans anyone from drinking alcohol near restaurants offering curbside pickup.

Fulton County schools plan graduation alternatives

In an open letter addressing the Class of 2020, Fulton County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney congratulated students for toughing it out, but lamented being unable to honor their graduation with a traditional ceremony. He has asked school principals to start finding alternatives to normal graduation ceremonies. The ceremonies may take place remotely, broadcast over the internet or principals may try to find ways to celebrate the graduating class in person while maintaining the required safe social distancing.

Fulton County: Stay home or risk jail time
Fulton county says anyone who breaks the Fulton County Board of Health's stay-at-home order could end up facing a year in jail or a thousand dollar fine.
Under the order, county residents are required to stay at home unless they work for select essential businesses or are leaving for critical reasons like to buy food. Residents can walk, run or bike or most other outdoor activities as long as they keep a safe social distance of six feet between themselves and all others.

New directory for open or closed businesses

There's been widespread confusion over what is and isn't closed by the coronavirus pandemic. To help, Patch has set up a simple open-or-closed directory to help business owners share their status with customers.
Businesses who want to report their status can find more information here. We're going to publish the directory on Patch, in our local email newsletters and on our local Facebook pages to ensure that as many community members as possible know the status of your business.
Meanwhile customers who want to know if their favorite local businesses are still up and running can find the directory here.

Other local news, closures and changes

• Visit Roswell is keeping an updated list of what is open.
• The City of Roswell is:
  • Prohibiting dining in at local restaurants
  • Allowing local businesses to place temporary business signage on their property without obtaining a temporary sign permit
  • Closing Roswell Park athletic facilities and outdoor gym equipment
  • Closing establishments where large numbers of people may gather
  • Closing all indoor city facilities to the public until further notice—this includes Roswell Fire Stations and the Roswell Recycling Center
  • Closing all playgrounds, fields, restrooms, and parking lots in all Roswell Parks until further notice
  • Cancelling community events through May 10
• Recreation, Parks, Historic & Cultural Affairs closure information is available here.
• City of Roswell Municipal Court will be closed for 30 days beginning on Monday, March 16. Court staff will contact affected individuals to reschedule court dates. For more information, call 770-641-3790.
• All programs, events, and activities (including practices and games) through the Roswell Recreation, Parks, Historic & Cultural Affairs Department are suspended.
  • Effective March 17, in accordance with CDC recommendations, no programs, events, or activities will take place for at least 8 weeks. An exact date of resuming normal operations will be provided as the situation progresses.
  • Department staff will be exploring refund or account credit options in regards to this new directive and we will share new information as it becomes available.
• All playgrounds, fields, restrooms, and parking lots in all Roswell Parks will be closed until further notice. Visitors may continue to use sidewalks and trails.
• The Roswell Recreation, Parks, Historic & Cultural Affairs Department has made the difficult decision to delay summer registration until April 1 for Roswell Residents and April 8 for Non-Residents. Registration will begin both days at 9 a.m. Due to facility closures, registration will be done online at www.summerinroswell.com.
• Household garbage, curbside recycling, and yard waste pick-up will continue on your regular schedule.