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Shelter in Place
STAYING HOME IS THE NEW NORMAL IN ATHENS
By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com
The Athens-Clarke County Commission
approved an emergency measure last week
requiring residents to stay in their homes
with some exceptions, hoping to reduce the
spread of COVID-19 in the county.
They also voted to spend at least $3
million to somewhat alleviate the economic
impact of closing many businesses to the
public, which will throw an untold number
of residents out of work at least until Apr.
7, when the “shelter in place” policy will
expire unless commissioners renew it—a
likely possibility, given that experts believe
the threat won’t pass
for at least another six
weeks or so.
But the public
health threat of coro-
navirus was deemed so
serious that it justified
harsher measures to
ensure that people
practice social distanc
ing whenever possible.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the
number of cases this week, and we expect
that to increase exponentially,” Lewis
Earnest, an emergency room doctor at St.
Mary’s Hospital, told commissioners.
Athens has a high population of people
who are vulnerable to COVID-19, according
to Grace Bagwell Adams, a professor at the
UGA College of Public Health. Almost a
fifth lack health insurance, and over 60% of
Athens households have at least one person
who has a chronic medical condition, is
over age 65 or both. Additionally, Athens
has a shortage of health care professionals.
All this points to a health care system that
could easily be overwhelmed.
“We have an astounding percentage of
Athens-Clarke County residents who only
have access to health care through the
emergency room,” Adams said.
Athens residents will still be able to do
most everything they need to do, such as go
to work, get food, groceries, medicine and
other supplies, go to the doctor, walk dogs,
take a jog or care for vulnerable friends and
relatives. Parks were expected to reopen
this week, according to ACC Manager Blaine
Williams, although police will tell groups
to disperse if more than 10 people are
gathered.
Hospitals, health clinics, doctors’ and
dentists’ offices, pharmacies, veterinarians
and other health care-related facilities can
remain open. So can grocery stories, conve
nience stores, produce stands, farmers mar
kets, banks, hardware stores, auto supply
and repair shops, gas stations, social ser
vices, shelters, electricians, plumbers, exter
minators, delivery services, laundromats,
dry cleaners, child care facilities, lawyers,
real estate agents, accountants, manufactur
ers and media outlets. Restaurants can con
tinue to serve food for takeout and delivery.
When leaving the house, residents are
required to practice social distancing, which
means staying at least six feet away from
non-household members, covering coughs
and sneezes with elbows, washing hands
frequently with soap and hot water for
20 seconds, using hand sanitizer and fre
quently cleaning high-touch surfaces.
Despite all the exceptions, commission
ers acknowledged that the ordinance will
cost many people their jobs. And 7% of local
residents already feared imminent eviction
before the pandemic, according to a recent
community wellness survey. “The eco
nomic impact is going to be devastating,”
Commissioner Melissa Link said.
Commissioner Tim Denson added an
amendment that will devote the remaining
$3 million from the county’s “prosperity
package,” passed
as part of the 2020
budget, to financial
assistance for laid-off
workers, small busi
nesses and nonprofits.
Commissioners also
said they would look
for additional funds in
the current budget and
the upcoming fiscal
2021 budget, as well as state and federal
relief. “It’s not going to go very far, unfor
tunately, but we’re doing what we can,”
Commissioner Jerry NeSmith said.
ACC has taken other steps to alleviate
the financial strain, such as making Athens
Transit temporarily fare-free, mandating
that no one’s water be cut off for nonpay
ment, waiving April water fees and waiving
business and alcohol license taxes for the
coming year. Manager Blaine Williams will
make more recommendations to ease the
burden on small businesses and workers by
Friday, Mar. 27.
Other changes included tweaks to
broaden the definition of who residents are
allowed to visit to include non-family mem
bers, proposed by Link, and clarifications to
enforcement, proposed by Commissioner
Mariah Parker.
No one will be cited or arrested for
violating the ordinance, said Mayor Kelly
Girtz. Instead, police will educate citizens
and urge them to disperse if they gather
in groups larger than 10, as recommended
by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Several commissioners had reserva
tions, but ultimately all of them voted
for the mandate. “I’d rather be accused
of overreacting than not doing enough,”
Commissioner Mike Hamby said.
Additionally, public health officials
briefed commissioners on the progress of
testing and educational efforts. Posters on
hygiene and social distancing will be given
to area businesses within the next few days,
and pamphlets and school lunches will be
distributed by police. “We are concerned
there are people who are not as aware as all
of us here are,” Northeast Health District
Administrator Emily Eisenman said.
Athens was one of the first communi
ties in Georgia to pass a shelter-in-place
ordinance, and surrounding counties
have not followed suit. Local hospitals
serve a 17-county area with a population
of 627,000, raising the possibility that
they could be overwhelmed despite ACC’s
efforts. “Any coordination that’s possible
among cities and counties is going to be
advantageous as we face this pandemic
together,” Adams said.
The shelter-in-place policy came just
three days after the commission voted
Mar. 16 to ban all gatherings of 10 or
more, based on the recommendation of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That vote essentially shut down all bars,
where UGA students—
on what amounts to
an extended spring
break—continued to
flout the CDC’s advice.
Originally, Girtz proposed a curfew as well,
but the curfew morphed into a request for
residents to voluntarily shelter in place
24/7. However, Commissioner Russell
Edwards and numerous local doctors said
the voluntary policy wasn’t enough, and the
commission regrouped Mar. 19 to make it
mandatory.
“We have 40 ICU beds. If we don’t deci
sively halt the spread of this virus, our
hospitals will be overwhelmed, and doctors
will have to decide who gets a ventilator
and who doesn’t,” Edwards said, pointing to
the rapidly deteriorating situation in Italy,
where thousands have died and the country
is on virtual lockdown.
As the commission was meeting Mar. 16,
Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement
that all public K-12 schools, colleges and
universities would remain closed through
the end of March.
The next day, the University of Georgia
went further, announcing that it will shift
to online classes starting Mar. 30 for the
rest of the spring semester and reduce
on-campus activities to a minimum, which
includes canceling the May commencement
ceremony.
“We realize that the cancellation of
many of these activities is extremely disap
pointing—particularly the cancellation of
spring commencement on Friday, May 8,
2020,” UGA President Jere Morehead said.
“Therefore, we are exploring other ways to
honor our graduates and will communicate
when those plans are known. These deci
sions are not made lightly, but with the best
interests of our campus community and our
students’ families and loved ones in mind.”
The few students who remain in resi
dence halls because they have nowhere to
go can stay and can get food to go from
Bolton Hall. Other students who live on
campus and meal plan subscribers will be
given refunds on a pro-rated basis. All stu
dents will also receive
pro-rated refunds
on fees. Advising for
the fall semester will
happen remotely. The
deadline to withdraw has been extended
until Apr. 17.
All non-essential employees will con
tinue working from home. All events this
semester are canceled, including athlet
ics, performances, student activities and
Honors Week. Students will be able to grad
uate, though.
In addition, interim superintendent
Xernona Thomas announced over the week
end that CCSD schools will remain closed
through Mar. 7. See the In the Loop blog at
flagpole.com for the latest.
Twilight Criterium Postponed
Downtown’s largest springtime event,
the Twilight Criterium bike race, has been
moved to the fall. Originally scheduled
for Apr. 25, it will now be held on Sept.
19, when the Georgia Bulldogs are in
Tuscaloosa, AL, to play the Crimson Tide.
The CDC recommendation for eight
weeks of social distancing, USA Cycling’s
decision not to permit events through May
3 and ACC’s social distancing policy all con
tributed to the decision, according to event
organizer Ashley Travieso.
“We felt we had no path forward to
continue with an April date,” Travieso
said. “We had hoped to continue with a
spring date, knowing how important this
event is to both the local community and
to the national and international cycling
community. We were optimistically hoping
circumstances might change prior to our
target announcement date of Apr. 6, but it
is evident this will not happen.” ©
THIS MSlim VSIkB
by TOM TOMORROW
OOHOHAVERSE
AN UNPRESIDENTED CRISIS
THIS STUPID VIRUS NEEDS A NICK
NAME! I'LL CALL IT THE CHI
NESE VIRUS!
BRILLIANT, SIR.' YOU CAN
SCAPEGOAT AND DEFLECT
BLAME—WHILE PRETENDING
to do NEITHER!
A RAPIDLY EVOLVING NARRATIVE ■ THE INVISIBLE HAND AT WORK
CORONAVIRUS IS
NO WORSE THAN |
THE FLU! THIS
IS JUST A DEM-1
OCRAT HOAX TO
HURT THE PRES-f
WENT—
r^v
-WHO IS DOING
| A MASTERFUL
JOB Of CON
TAINING THIS
DEADLY THREAT
TO ALL AMER
ICANS'
)T*
So WHAT IF THOSE SENATORS DUMPED
STOCK IN FEBRUARY AFTER RECEIVING
CORONAVIRUS BRIEFINGS? THEY WERE
JUST BEING SAWY INVESTORS!
W? HOWEVER, SHOULDN'T £\4n
LOOK AT YOUR HOI-K.' IT'S YOUR
PATRIOTIC DUTY To LEAVE your
MONEY RIGHT WHERE IT IS!
MIKE PENCE’S QUARANTINE
FUN-TIME ACTIVITIES
YOU CAN PASS THE TIME MAKING
LISTS OF ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS
DONALD TRUMP HAS DONE TO KEEP
our country SAFE!
OR WHY NOT TRY A CRAFT PRO
JECT—LIKE THESE LITTLE DONALD
TRUMPS X MADE out of POPSICLE
STICKS AND YARN.'
READY FOR ANYTHING THAT
REQUIRES TOILET PAPER OR GUNS
I'VE GOT A YEAR'S WORTH OF
TOILET PAPER—AND A FULL AR
SENAL OF WEAPONS TO PROTECT
MY PRECIOUS TOILET PAPER FROM
RAMPAGING LOOTERS!
TIME IS A FLAT CIRCLE
THE DAYS BLEND INTO ONE ANOTHER
IN A CEASELESS, UNCHANGING
BLUR, EACH INDISTINGUISHABLE
FROM THE LAST. MEMORIES OF THE
BEFORE-TIMES GROW EVER MORE
INDISTINCT. HOW LONG HAVE WE
BEEN LOCKED UP IN THIS APARTMENT
TOGETHER, BLINKY?
If we don’t decisively
halt the spread of this
virus, our hospitals will be
overwhelmed, and doctors
will have to decide who gets
a ventilator and who doesn’t.
The economic impact is
going to be devastating.
4
FLAGPOLE.COM | MARCH 25, 2020
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