ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp addressed the state's first-ever public health emergency from his office Saturday morning in response to the spread of the coronavirus.
According to the governor, the state has seen its largest increase in the number of coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, with the total number jumping to 66.
The confirmed cases in Cobb, DeKalb, and Bartow doubled overnight, Kemp said. Below is a breakdown by county.
15 - Cobb
13 - Fulton
8 - DeKalb
7 - Bartow
5 - Cherokee
4 - Fayette
3 - Floyd
2 - Coweta
2 - Gordon
2 - Gwinnett
1 - Lee
1 - Henry
1 - Lowndes
1 - Polk
1 - Charlton
Now that the state of Georgia has increased its testing capacity, we're getting a more clear picture of how many cases are in the state. Earlier this week, the state had the capacity to conduct 50 tests a day. Now they are up to 100 tests a day and hope to get more capacity next week.
Governor Kemp said those numbers will rise now as the virus spreads and testing increases.
"The epidemiologist I met with yesterday, and as well as others I've talked to in the past several days, they say that this will grow exponentially," he said.
However, Kemp said that Georgians can still do their part to help limit the spread.
"We are asking people, including religious gatherings, to try to do those online," he said. "If you're adamant about holding those services at this point, you certainly can do so but we're asking them to put in measures like social distancing and other precautions to make sure other people stay safe and don't get infected."
He also suggested that the elderly and medically stay home and have family and friends help take care of things like groceries and medications.
On Friday, Kemp declared a public health emergency, which will free up resources to assist in moving and situating materials where they are most needed across the state.
"This declaration will greatly assist health and emergency management officials across Georgia by deploying all available resources for the mitigation and treatment of COVID-19," Kemp said in a statement late Friday afternoon.
Ordinarily, the State Capitol is one of the most crowded buildings in downtown Atlanta during the 40-day legislative session.
House Speaker David Ralston told House members to go home Friday, while he conducts a one-man session, reading the captions of bills passed by the Senate Thursday, and assigning them to committees.
Following that point, Ralston's office indicated Friday that the session will suspend indefinitely on Monday.
Ralston said a decision will be made for lawmakers to return "to do the people's business."
However, with the formal emergency declaration, members will, by law, have to return to the State Capitol in order to address the situation.
"In accordance with state law, I will call for a special session of the General Assembly to convene at the State Capitol at 8 AM on Monday, March 16, 2020 to ratify this action through a joint resolution," Kemp said.
According to Kemp's office, it appears that after a review of state records that this is the first time that a public health emergency has ever been declared in the state of Georgia's history.
In Georgia, the risk of contracting COVID-19 remains low, according to officials. At 11Alive, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: www.11Alive.com/Coronavirus.
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