In the Loop
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Georgia Records Largest Ever Number of New Coronavirus Cases
The state of Georgia recorded 1,525 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the 24-hour period that ended at noon on Friday, the largest number of new cases ever recorded in the Department of Public Health’s Daily Status Report.
The 10-county Northeast Health District, which includes Oconee and Clarke counties, recorded 38 new cases on Friday, the second largest number of new cases listed for the region in the Daily Status Report.
Oconee County now has 48 confirmed COVID-19 cases, up from 45 on Thursday, and Clarke County has 106, up from 102 on Thursday.
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UGA Reschedules Commencement for Fall
Photo Credit: Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA
As long as it's safe to gather in large groups again, the University of Georgia will hold commencement ceremonies for spring 2020 graduates this fall.
Undergraduate commencement is scheduled for Oct. 16 at Sanford Stadium (the Dawgs have an away game that weekend). Graduate students' commencement will be held Dec. 18 at Stegeman Coliseum, in conjunction with the fall 2020 ceremony. The ceremonies will take place "only if it is deemed safe to do so at that time by the CDC and state health officials," UGA President Jere Morehead said.
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COVID-19 Cases Surge but May Be Leveling Off
The Georgia Department of Public Health in its noon Daily Status Report on Tuesday listed 36 new cases of confirmed COVID-19 in the 10-county Northeast Health District and one additional death in Clarke County attributable to the disease.
The increase of 36 cases was the largest increase since the 46 cases were added on Tuesday a week ago and the 36 were added on Mar. 31, two weeks ago. The total number of cases in the region now stands at 355.
The added death in Clarke County was of a 76-year-old man without known underlying conditions.
Clarke County added 10 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the 24-hour period ending at noon on Tuesday, and Oconee County added two.
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Gonzalez Again Urges Kemp to Appoint DA
Deborah Gonzalez.
Former state Rep. Deborah Gonzalez, a candidate for Western Circuit District Attorney, has hired an attorney to pressure Gov. Brian Kemp to appoint a DA to replace Ken Mauldin, thus giving voters a chance to choose their DA this November.
Mauldin retired in February, making his chief assistant, Brian Patterson, the acting DA. Patterson is also a candidate for the position.
Under an obscure 2018 state law, if Kemp waits until after May 3—180 days before the November election—the election for DA will be pushed back until 2022.
"Ms. Gonzalez does not want to litigate this matter, the likely constitutional infirmities of the statutory scheme notwithstanding," Adam Sparks of the Atlanta law firm Krevolin Horst wrote in a letter to Kemp and his executive counsel, David Dove, dated Apr. 10. "Even so, she reserves all options at her disposal should the anticipated election not occur due to delay in exercising the Governor’s vested appointment power. "
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Georgia Primaries Postponed Until June
Brad Raffensperger.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has postponed the state's primaries from May 19 until June 9.
Raffensperger had previously resisted calls to move the election date back, saying he lacked the authority. But then Gov. Brian Kemp extended the state of emergency until May 13 and shelter-in-place order until Apr. 30. Early voting was set to begin Apr. 27.
“Due to the Governor’s extension of the state of emergency through a time period that includes almost every day of in-person voting for an election on May 19, and after careful consideration, I am now comfortable exercising the authority vested in me by Georgia law to postpone the primary election until June 9,” Raffensperger said in a news release. “This decision allows our office and county election officials to continue to put in place contingency plans to ensure that voting can be safe and secure when in-person voting begins and prioritizes the health and safety of voters, county election officials and poll workers.”
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Ten People Have Died of COVID-19 at One Athens Nursing Home
165 Winston Drive.
Ten residents have died of COVID-19 at PruittHealth Grandview nursing home in Athens, according to WSB-TV.
A nurse tipped off WSB to the deaths. They were later confirmed by PruittHealth, which said they occured over "the past few weeks." The Norcross-based company also told WSB that the facility is operating "at an alert code red status" and strictly following infectious disease protocols.
The nurse, Myesha Moore, also told WSB that she was fired because she didn't go to work while showing symptoms of COVID-19, an allegation PruittHealth denied.
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Georgia COVID-19 Deaths Jump by 100 in 24 Hours
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased greatly in Oconee County and the Northeast Georgia region on Tuesday, reflecting the dramatic increase across the state in the noon Daily Status Report from the Georgia Department of Health.
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
The report shows Oconee County with 32 confirmed cases, up from 24 at noon on Monday, and Clarke County with 77, up from 69 at noon on Monday.
Across the 10-county Northeast Health District of the state Department of Health, which includes both Oconee and Clarke counties, the number of confirmed cases was 236, up from 190 at noon on Monday.
The increases were the largest ever recorded for the region, more than doubling the increase of 22 from the day before. The increase for Oconee County was also the largest increase ever shown in the Daily Status Report.
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Campaigns Move Online in the Coronavirus Age
Mokah Jasmine Johnson.
Sheltering in place has pretty much shut down campaigning—who wants somebody showing up on their doorstep to hand them a germy pamphlet these days?—but as of right now there is still an election coming up on May 19.
The progressive group Athens for Everyone is hosting a series of debates via Zoom and streaming them on Facebook Live (facebook.com/AthensForEveryone). The first, on Wednesday, Apr. 8, will feature Commission District 6 incumbent Jerry NeSmith and challenger Jesse Houle. Friday, Apr. 10 will bring you District 4 Commissioner Allison Wright and challenger Michael Stapor. The following Wednesday, District 8 candidates Andrea Farnham and Carol Myers are up to bat (Kamau Hill had not confirmed at press time). On Apr. 22, check out District 10 incumbent Mike Hamby and challenger Knowa Johnson. All start at 5:30 p.m. except the District 4 debate, which will start at 5 p.m. They’ll be moderated by yours truly.
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