Blog Topic: Wrath of God

In the Loop: Kemp Orders Bars to Stay Closed Through End of May

By Blake Aued | May 13, 2020 1:13pm

Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order Tuesday telling bars, nightclubs and live performance venues to stay closed at least through May 31.

"I know this extension is difficult for many Georgia business owners and communities that have music venues," Kemp said. "However, we believe that waiting a little bit longer will enhance health outcomes and give folks the opportunity to prepare for safe reopening in the near future."

Kemp closed bars, restaurants and many other types of businesses on Apr. 2 as the coronavirus pandemic spread (pre-empting an earlier local order in Athens that was passed Mar. 19). He allowed some—including restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors and hair and nail salons—to reopen late last month, if they took safety precautions.

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In the Loop: COVID-19 Cases Spike in Northeast Georgia

By Lee Becker | May 6, 2020 5:55pm

The Northeast Health District of the Georgia Department of Public Health reported 51 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 at noon on Wednesday, the largest increase ever recorded in the district by a daily status report in a 24-hour-period.

Every county but one in the 10-county Northeast Health District reported an increase in cases, with Barrow County reporting 24 new cases.

Oconee County reported two new cases and no deaths in the Daily Status Report, but the separate Long Term Care Facility COVID-19 Report issued by the Department of Public Health listed a recent death at High Shoals Health and Rehabilitation nursing facility in North High Shoals.

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In the Loop: Georgia Records Largest Ever Number of New Coronavirus Cases

By Lee Becker | April 17, 2020 5:05pm

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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In the Loop: COVID-19 Cases Surge but May Be Leveling Off

By Lee Becker | April 14, 2020 4:21pm

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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In the Loop: Georgia COVID-19 Deaths Jump by 100 in 24 Hours

By Lee Becker | April 7, 2020 5:11pm

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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In the Loop: COVID-19 Kills 12th Person in Northeast Georgia

By Lee Becker | April 3, 2020 4:25pm

Clarke County added one new death as a result of COVID-19 in the noon Daily Status Report for Friday, bringing the total deaths in the 10-county Northeast Health District of the Georgia Department of Health to 12.

The death was of a 98-year-old male with underlying conditions.

Elbert County, the sole county in the region without a confirmed COVID-19 case, added a single case in the 24 hour period from noon of Thursday to noon of Friday.

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In the Loop: Flagpole Wants to Hear Your #QuarantineTales

By Noah Rawlings | April 7, 2020 10:03am

For many Athens residents, this is an unprecedented moment: A virus spreads unpredictably throughout the globe; schools and workplaces are closed; most days are spent indoors, for weeks at a time. In short, “normal life” either is nonexistent or has become something else entirely.

We at Flagpole want to hear and share your stories of living, working, playing and hoping in these tumultuous times. How has the coronavirus altered your life? How are you responding? How would you like to see others respond? What do you miss about life before sheltering in place? What has sheltering in place, oddly, brought back into your life? (A skill? A hobby?)

Your quarantine stories can be fact or fiction, prose or poetry, lighthearted anecdotes or heavy accounts, or comics or photographs. Please limit them to 500 words, and we’ll publish as many as we can in future issues of Flagpole. Email all submissions to Associate Editor Noah Rawlings at noah@flagpole.com.

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In the Loop: COVID-19 Cases Continue to Rise in Athens

By | April 2, 2020 2:26pm

Clarke County now has 54 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with seven residents dying from the disease, according to the latest numbers from the Georgia Department of Public Health.

In Georgia, 5,348 cases have been confirmed, with 163 deaths.

Those who have died in Clarke County range from age 60–89, according to DPH. At least four had underlying conditions making them more susceptible to the disease.

At least 15 University of Georgia students and employees have tested positive. They include one student worker who helped hundreds of fellow students move out of the dorms late last month, after UGA canceled in-person classes for the semester, according to the AJC. UGA said it has notified coworkers and students who checked out during times the student who tested positive was working.

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In the Loop: Kemp Closes K-12 Schools for Rest of School Year

By Blake Aued | April 1, 2020 9:44pm

Many probably saw this coming, with just four weeks between Gov. Brian Kemp's projected return date of Apr. 27 and the end of the Clarke County school year May 21, and no end to the coronavirus pandemic in sight, but Kemp announced today that he will keep public K-12 schools in Georgia closed for the rest of the 2019–2020 school year.

CCSD shifted to online learning three weeks ago and had planned to keep it up at least through the end of the month. The latest announcement, though, throws activities like proms and graduation ceremonies in doubt.

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In the Loop: Kemp Closes Schools Through Apr. 24

By Blake Aued | March 26, 2020 1:59pm

Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered all public K-12 schools in Georgia to remain closed through Friday, Apr. 24.

"I am deeply grateful to State School Superintendent Richard Woods, the Georgia Department of Education, superintendents, and parents for keeping us informed and helping us make the right decision for our students," Kemp said in a news release. "Throughout this process, we will continue to seek the advice of public health officials, school leaders, and families to ensure the health and safety of the educational community. As we approach April 24, 2020, we ask for continued patience and flexibility since circumstances may change, but we encourage families to stay strong and follow the guidance of federal, state, and local leaders in the weeks ahead."

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