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WEDNESDAY I MARCH 25, 2020 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVULE, GEORGIA $1.00
County declares state of emergency
Declaration comes as response to coronavirus in state
By Alexander Popp
apopp@dawsonnews.com
Local officials have declared
that an emergency affecting
“life, health, property and pub
lic peace” now exists within
Dawson County due to the
spread of coronavirus
(COVID-19).
At a March 19 voting ses
sion, the Dawson County Board
of Commissioners approved an
emergency resolution deploy
ing all available resources to
fight the COVID-19 global
pandemic, and outlining how
the county will operate during
the next several months.
According to the resolution,
all public hearings, business of
the county zoning and planning
commission, and permits for
public events and gatherings
have been suspended for
60 days.
“I know there have been
questions as to what Dawson
County is doing to protect our
citizens from COVID-
19,” County Manager David
Headley said in a Facebook
video posted by the Dawson
County Government on Friday
afternoon. “I want to reassure
you that Dawson County is fol
lowing all guidelines set forth
by the president and the CDC.”
The board of commissioners
will continue to operate and
hold public meetings, the reso
lution said, but all policy-mak
ing functions of the board,
beyond those related to
addressing the COVID-19 pan
demic, have similarly been sus
pended.
The resolution says that citi
zens are strongly encouraged to
observe future board meetings
via online streaming and those
who do choose to attend future
open meetings will be required
to observe social distancing
protocols.
At Thursday’s meeting, the
Dawson County Attorney stated
that the 60 day period could be
extended by the board if
needed.
On Friday the Georgia
Department of Public Health
announced that the first con
firmed case of COVID-19 had
been recorded in Dawson
County.
Rolling for a good cause
Erica Schmidt Dawson County News
Dawson County Bus driver Scott Sorrells hands out meals to children at their bus stop on Wednesday, March 18.
Rolling with the volunteers feeding Dawson County students
By Erica Schmidt
eschmidt@dawsonnews.com
Even though Dawson County
Schools are cancelled for the foresee
able future, at 10:30 a.m. on
Wednesday morning, school buses
started out on their normal routes from
schools throughout the county.
But instead of empty buses driving
their routes to pick up students, these
buses were full, seats crowded with
coolers and boxes crammed with ham
burgers, sausage biscuits, milk, juice,
fresh fruit and vegetables. School staff
and volunteers were the buses only
passengers, all united in their mission
to keep students happy, fed and
healthy.
With schools closed for coronavirus
precautions, the Dawson County
school system has implemented a
school bus meal delivery system in
order to bring school lunches to stu
dents who will be at home full-time
until schools reopen.
Delivery routes consist of 19 school
buses, each running their normal
routes. Under normal operations, each
school bus runs the same route twice a
day, once by an elementary school
driver for the elementary age students
and then again by a middle or high
school driver for students on the same
route.
For the sake of meal delivery, both
the elementary driver and the high
school driver ride the route together
and deliver to all age groups at the
same time, according to Tony Wooten,
safe schools coordinator for Dawson
County Schools.
“We have two bus drivers on each
bus, both of whom know the route
well,” Wooten said. “And they deliver
meals to all the children on the route,
from babies to age 18.”
In addition to the two bus drivers,
volunteers also ride the routes to help
with meal distribution.
“We need as many volunteers as
possible,” Wooten said. “People might
not volunteer because they don’t know
what to expect, but our goal is simple
— we’re trying to keep our kids fed
and safe.”
Scott Sorrells is a high school bus
driver for Dawson County Schools. He
and Beverly Gaydon, his elementary
school route partner, rode their bus
route on Wednesday handing out meals
to any students at the stops.
“We recognize the kids on the route
because they all either ride my bus or
Scott’s,” Gaydon said.
Children, excited to see the bus pull
up, ran up to the stop to wait, meeting
the school bus with smiles and laughter.
Parents walked with the younger chil
dren, all happy to see the bus arrive.
See Delivery 13A
Department of
Health confirms
first COVID-19
case in Dawson
By Alexander Popp
apopp@dawsonnews.com
The Georgia Department of Public
Health (DPH) confirmed on Friday that
Dawson County has recorded its first case
of coronavirus (COVID-19).
This confirmation came during a
department of health daily update. As of
Tuesday afternoon, DPH officials had
confirmed 1036 cases of COVID-19
statewide. Officials also say that 32 indi
viduals in Georgia have died due to the
virus.
In a Facebook video posted by the
Dawson County Government on Friday
afternoon, County Manager David
Headley said that due to HIPPA laws and
Patient Privacy Rights Acts they cannot
disclose further information about the
local individual who tested positive for
COVID-19.
Following this announcement, DPH
spokesman Dave Palmer said that at the
present they are not commenting on
whether there are additional cases in
Dawson County awaiting test results.
Palmer stated that officials “believe num
bers will increase as more people are test
ed.”
DPH was also unable to comment on
whether the coronavirus case in Dawson
County has any connection to cases
reported in other surrounding counties.
Two weeks ago the North Georgia
Premium Outlets in Dawson County stat
ed in a message to the public that a part-
time employee at the outlets had tested
positive for COVID-19. Local and state
officials were unable to confirm this
claim by the outlets.
'[Officials]believe
numbers will
increase as more
people are tested.'
Dave Palmer
DPH spokesman
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Inside
Volume 4, Number 86
© 2019, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Classifieds
5B
Dear Abby
4B
Deaths
2A
Legals
6B
Opinion
5A
Sports
1B
3A Businesses
still open in
Dawson
County
4A Local Humane
Society keeps
doors open
amid
COVID-19
NORTHSIDE
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DAWSON
81 Northside Dawson Drive, Suite 100
Dawsonville, GA 30534
Monday - Sunday: 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Call 706-216-6000 for an appointment
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