COVID-19 case emerges here

White County has its first confirmed case of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The development was included in the Georgia Department of Public Health’s noon update on Wednesday, March 25, days after city, county and school officials had continued measures to limit person-to-person contact.

Before the confirmation, county government extended existing limitations on public access to facilities, closing lobbies while continuing operations. The cities of Cleveland and Helen, as well as many local businesses, were taking similar precautions ahead of Gov. Brian Kemp order Monday of a statewide ban on bars, restaurants and gatherings of 10 or more people unless it can be guaranteed people will stay six feet apart from each other.

Kemp also ordered that “medically fragile” individuals and those potentially exposed to the COVID-19 virus shelter in place. The City of Helen declared a local state of emergency at a called meeting Tuesday, March 24. (See more below.)

A few hours after the county’s first confirmed case was announced, both the White County Board of Commissioners and Cleveland City Council announced they would hold emergency called meetings by teleconference to consider further action.

Officials have urged the public to continue social distancing and practice thorough hand-washing and hygiene habits to prevent spreading the virus.

The White County Pandemic Task Force has a regularly scheduled meeting set for Thursday afternoon, March 26.

The governor is scheduled to hold a virtual townhall at 8 p.m. Thursday with public health and emergency preparedness officials.

Helen declares local state of emergency

The Helen City Commission has declared a local state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 virus.

The city held a called meeting Tuesday, March 24, after Gov. Brian Kemp’s executive order the day before. Commissioners were spread out in the meeting room to abide by social distancing guidelines, and two commissioners, Geneva Elwell and Fred Garmon, attended via teleconference.

Kemp’s order mandated that no business, establishment, corporations, non-profit corporation or organization shall allow more than 10 people to be at a single location if the gathering requires people to be within six feet of each other. The Georgia Department of Public Health has also mandated that all dining areas should be closed until further notice, and take out, drive-thru, or delivery options should be used by restaurants.

Helen City Attorney Carl Free said state Public Health is in charge of enforcing the order for restaurants, but it is his understanding  that if a business is able to keep people six feet away from one another, they can have more than 10 people in the establishment.

The city’s emergency declaration, which was unanimously approved, falls in line with the governor’s executive order, while authorizing the Helen Police Department, Helen Fire Department and other necessary city employees to enforce the order. This includes the ability to close a businesses or other establishment not in compliance.

The ordinance is effective immediately and will be automatically repealed after 30 days of its adoption. Free added that it could be repealed earlier or extended, depending on the circumstances.

Prior to the governor’s order and the city’s emergency declaration, many Helen businesses already were adjusting to the COVID-19 situation. Alpine Helen/White County Georgia Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jerry Brown said tourism in Helen has been affected to the point where many businesses, including retail stores, restaurants, and hotels, have closed.

On Monday, March 23, the Helen Welcome Center officially closed its operations until further notice. Brown said they would continue to answer all correspondence (emails, social media messages, etc.), except for phone calls. He encouraged anyone with questions about whether a business is open to visit helenga.org and to check the business’ website to verify if they are still open.

Coronavirus death toll rises to 40 in Georgia

The novel coronavirus death toll reached 40 people in Georgia as of noon Wednesday, March 25, doubling the state’s official death toll since Saturday night.

The fatalities are among a total of 1,247 confirmed COVID-19 cases spread over 96 of Georgia’s 159 counties at that time, according to the state Department of Public Health. More than 6,000 diagnostic tests have been completed across the state, largely by commercial labs.

Most infections continue to be clustered around the Atlanta metro area, with a large number also occurring in the northwestern part of the state around Rome and further south in the Albany area. In all, nearly 400 people remain hospitalized from COVID-19 infection.

Earlier this month, Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia Hospital Association issued a joint statement on patient privacy, while urging the public to rely on COVID-19 information from the Governor’s Office, the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“… we ask all members of the public and the media to remain patient and respect the privacy of those who have been hospitalized or are in isolation due to exposure to COVID-19. It’s important to note that, under penalty of law, hospitals and other healthcare providers are not allowed to share private health information. Respecting these legal guidelines is crucial to streamlining healthcare operations and ensuring that care for patients continues without interruption. We are in this fight together, and with cooperation from all stakeholders, we will continue to put the health and safety of Georgians first.”

(This story has been updated from the March 26, 2020, print version to include the emergency called meetings of the White County government and Cleveland City Council.)