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Coronavirus in Georgia on April 10

This is what happened on Friday, April 10

ATLANTA — Below is an archive of information and details from Friday, April 10. 

For details from Saturday, April 11, click here. 

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The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia has increased again, and has now topped 11,800, according to the latest figures from the Georgia Department of Public Health. There are now 425 deaths being reported. Scroll to read more.

At 11Alive News, our coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit the 11Alive coronavirus page for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about Georgia specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 404-885-7600.

State and federal officials with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are continually monitoring the spread of the virus. They are also working hand-in-hand with the World Health Organization to track the spread around the world and to stop it.

We will continue to track the most important coronavirus elements relating to Georgia on this page. Refresh often for new information.

Key Facts: 

Credit: WXIA

Friday, April 10

Confirmed cases top 11,800, with 425 deaths reported

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia has increased again, and now stands at 11,859, according to the latest figures from the Georgia Department of Public Health. There are 425 deaths being reported, with another 2,454 people hospitalized with the virus. 

Fulton County alone now has more than 1,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and is reporting 50 deaths from the virus. Dougherty County is reporting the second-highest number of cases at 1,072 and 68 deaths. 

Only four of Georgia's 159 counties - Taliaferro, Glascock, Evans and Montgomery - do not have any reported cases of the virus.

According to the data, Black Americans account for 2,117 of the cases in Georgia, while 1,532 non-Hispanic whites have been diagnosed with the virus. There are 6,716 people with the virus listed with an "unknown race."

Here is the county-by-county breakdown:

County - Cases - Deaths

Fulton    1417    50
Dougherty    1072    68
Dekalb    826    13
Cobb    681    33
Gwinnett    669    17
Clayton    328    11
Hall    273    0
Henry    249    3
Lee    230    15
Sumter    216    9
Bartow    208    15
Carroll    200    5
Cherokee    177    7
Douglas    148    5
Muscogee    142    3
Chatham    140    5
Mitchell    135    13
Richmond    134    4
Forsyth    119    4
Houston    112    7
Early    107    6
Floyd    104    5
Terrell    103    10
Randolph    102    5
Coweta    100    2
Fayette    93    4
Rockdale    89    2
Clarke    81    10
Colquitt    80    5
Worth    78    4
Newton    77    3
Paulding    74    2
Thomas    74    3
Columbia    65    0
Spalding    65    4
Crisp    63    0
Lowndes    59    2
Bibb    58    1
Tift    56    1
Troup    56    3
Coffee    53    2
Barrow    51    3
Upson    50    0
Ware    50    4
Pierce    43    2
Calhoun    39    2
Dooly    37    1
Oconee    37    1
Baldwin    35    1
Glynn    34    0
Walton    34    2
Bryan    29    2
Gordon    29    3
Laurens    29    1
Turner    28    0
Butts    27    0
Decatur    27    0
Jackson    26    1
Dawson    25    2
Greene    25    1
Burke    24    0
Whitfield    24    3
Peach    21    2
Polk    21    0
Washington    21    0
Effingham    20    1
Camden    19    0
Harris    19    1
Mcduffie    19    2
Meriwether    19    0
Macon    18    0
Brooks    17    1
Liberty    16    0
Stephens    16    0
Bulloch    15    0
Clay    15    1
Grady    15    0
Haralson    15    0
Johnson    15    1
Lamar    15    0
Pike    15    0
Bacon    14    0
Habersham    14    1
Morgan    14    0
Seminole    14    0
Catoosa    12    0
Monroe    12    1
Murray    12    0
Oglethorpe    12    1
Schley    12    1
Baker    11    2
Irwin    11    0
Toombs    11    1
White    11    0
Jones    10    0
Madison    10    1
Marion    10    0
Miller    10    0
Pickens    10    2
Appling    9    0
Dodge    9    0
Fannin    9    0
Jenkins    9    1
Lumpkin    9    0
Pulaski    9    0
Talbot    9    1
Telfair    9    0
Wilkinson    9    1
Ben Hill    8    0
Banks    7    0
Brantley    7    1
Emanuel    7    0
Lincoln    7    0
Taylor    7    2
Berrien    6    0
Cook    6    0
Gilmer    6    0
Jasper    6    0
Jefferson    6    1
Rabun    6    0
Stewart    6    0
Union    6    1
Walker    6    0
Warren    6    0
Wilkes    6    0
Lanier    5    0
Putnam    5    0
Screven    5    0
Wilcox    5    0
Candler    4    0
Chattooga    4    1
Franklin    4    0
Wayne    4    0
Chattahoochee    3    0
Clinch    3    0
Crawford    3    0
Elbert    3    0
Hart    3    0
Heard    3    1
Mcintosh    3    0
Quitman    3    0
Tattnall    3    0
Towns    3    0
Webster    3    0
Atkinson    2    0
Charlton    2    0
Dade    2    1
Echols    2    0
Twiggs    2    0
Wheeler    2    0
Bleckley    1    0
Hancock    1    0
Jeff Davis    1    0
Long    1    0
Treutlen    1    0
Unknown    1226    5

*Based on patient county of residence when known

Atlanta Public Schools moves to once-a-week food distribution

Atlanta Public Schools says it be be moving to provide food and meals for APS students and their families once a week on Mondays, beginning April 13.

APS said students will be provided with five breakfast and five lunch meals each Monday. Student breakfast and lunch meals will be available along with bus delivery service at all 10 sites listed below.

In addition, a bag of weekly groceries will be available at five sites only. Service will be available each Monday from 10 a.m. to Noon, via drive-thru or walk up, while supplies last. 

Bus route information:  

Bunche Middle School
1925 Niskey Lake Road, SW

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bag of weekly groceries available 
  • Bus delivery

Cleveland Avenue Elementary School
2672 Old Hapeville Road, SW

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bag of weekly groceries available 
  • Bus delivery

Douglass High School
225 Hamilton E Holmes Dr., NW

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bag of weekly groceries available 
  • Bus delivery

Phoenix Academy (formerly Alonzo Crim High School)
256 Clifton St., SE

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bag of weekly groceries available 
  • Bus delivery

Sylvan Hills Middle School
1461 Sylvan Road, SW

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bag of weekly groceries available 
  • Bus delivery

Booker T. Washington High School
45 Whitehouse Drive, SW

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bus delivery

Hope-Hill Elementary School
112 Boulevard, NE

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bus delivery

King Middle School
545 Hill Street, SE

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bus delivery

Thomasville Heights Elementary School
1820 Henry Thomas Drive, SE

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bus delivery

Young Middle School
3116 Benjamin E Mays Drive, SW

  • Five student breakfast and lunch meals
  • Bus delivery

APS bus delivery is available on middle school bus routes in these clusters: Carver, Douglass, Jackson, Mays, South Atlanta, Therrell, and Washington. Children do not have to be present to receive a meal. Families are encouraged to pull up at these locations for drive-thru service. 

Atlanta Mayor signs order suspending state's Mask Statute in the city 

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a tweet late Friday afternoon that she has signed an order directing police officers in the city not to enforce the state's mask statute.

This came on the heels, the mayor said, of her seeing two men in another city being escorted from a store for wearing masks for protection -- as directed by the CDC, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Georgia's mask statue makes it illegal for individuals to wear masks in public outside of Halloween or a similar context. It also prevents individuals from wearing masks into stores in the state.

According to the mayor's order, persons are permitted to wear masks "without fear of citation or arrest for a violation of the Georgia Mask Statute, for a period not to exceed 60 days."  

MARTA to give 'hero payment' to frontline employees; Adjusts bus service to address crowding

MARTA front-line workers and employees are going to get a one-time "hero payment" of $500, according to the agency during a news conference on Friday. 

The transit agency said it will also implement 80 hours of additional paid sick leave for employees affected by COVID-19 and distribute masks to all employees unable to telework. 

In addition, MARTA is adjusting parts of its bus service to address the problem of crowding, which they said has occurred since the implementation of rear-door boarding on buses. 

Read the full story. 

Federal district court sets date to hear ACLU Georgia's lawsuit

A federal court says it will hear a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and the ACLU of Georgia against the secretary of state.

The ACLU said it filed Black Voters Matter v. Raffensperger in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division. 

According to the civil rights group, it is challenging the constitutionality of requiring voters to buy postage stamps when submitting mail-in absentee ballots and ballot application, claiming the costs violate the Constitution's ban on poll taxes.

"Postage costs money. Georgia’s election officials require voters to pay postage when submitting mail-in absentee ballots. This is a poll tax and, therefore, unconstitutional," the group said in a statement.

The court says they have to prove and "quantify the burden with as much precision as possible."

“No one should have to choose between protecting their health and their right to vote. Voting by mail will be the safest option for many voters. In failing to provide prepaid postage for absentee ballots, Georgia is creating an unconstitutional obstacle to voting. We won't allow for a modern-day poll tax,” said Sophia Lin Lakin, deputy director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project.

The group is seeking a preliminary injunction to require election officials to provide prepaid returnable envelopes for absentee ballots and absentee ballot applications. 

The hearing is set for April 24 at 10:30 a.m.

Georgia Democrats call for mail-in ballots to be sent to all voters

Georgia Democrats on Friday called for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to send absentee mail-in ballots to all registered voters in the state. 

Democratic chairwoman, State Sen. Nikema Williams, said on a Friday conference call that right now, there's no way to ensure the situation with the coronavirus pandemic will subside enough to allow voters to safely gather at in-person polling sites on June 9. 

On Thursday, Raffensperger announced a delay of the state's presidential primary vote for the second time -- from May 19 to June 9. 

She and the Georgia Democrats argue the safest way to vote is by mail. Republicans have argued it would make the vote more corruptible. 

Read the full story.

Nearly 11,500 cases reported across Georgia with 416 deaths 

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia took a significant jump Friday morning to nearly 11,500. More than 415 Georgians were reported dead from COVID-19, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

The largest concentration of cases across the state continues to be in the metro area, with 1,364 cases in Fulton County and 48 deaths. Dougherty County has the second largest number of cases in Georgia with 1,062 cases and the single-largest number total of deaths with 67 cases. 

The next five largest case totals are in metro Atlanta -- DeKalb with 795 cases, Cobb with 662 cases, Gwinnett with 646 cases, Clayton with 310 cases and Hall County with 250 cases.

The full county listing is as follows: 

County - Cases - Deaths

Fulton    1364    48
Dougherty    1062    67
Dekalb    795    13
Cobb    662    33
Gwinnett    646    17
Clayton    310    11
Hall    250    0
Henry    242    3
Lee    222    15
Sumter    211    9
Bartow    207    15
Carroll    197    5
Cherokee    170    7
Douglas    142    5
Chatham    136    5
Mitchell    131    13
Muscogee    127    3
Forsyth    113    2
Houston    111    7
Early    105    5
Terrell    100    10
Floyd    99    5
Randolph    98    5
Richmond    95    4
Fayette    92    4
Coweta    90    2
Rockdale    85    2
Clarke    81    10
Colquitt    80    5
Worth    75    4
Newton    73    3
Thomas    73    3
Paulding    69    2
Crisp    61    0
Spalding    60    4
Columbia    59    0
Bibb    56    1
Lowndes    56    1
Tift    56    1
Troup    56    3
Coffee    53    2
Barrow    48    3
Ware    48    4
Upson    47    0
Pierce    41    2
Calhoun    37    2
Walton    36    2
Dooly    35    1
Oconee    35    1
Baldwin    32    1
Glynn    32    0
Bryan    29    2
Gordon    28    3
Laurens    28    1
Turner    28    0
Butts    27    0
Decatur    26    0
Jackson    26    1
Greene    25    1
Dawson    24    1
Whitfield    24    3
Burke    21    0
Polk    21    0
Washington    21    0
Peach    20    2
Camden    19    0
Effingham    19    1
Mcduffie    19    2
Macon    18    0
Meriwether    18    0
Brooks    17    1
Harris    17    1
Bulloch    16    0
Clay    15    1
Grady    15    0
Haralson    15    0
Lamar    15    0
Pike    15    0
Stephens    15    0
Bacon    14    0
Johnson    14    1
Liberty    14    0
Morgan    14    0
Habersham    13    0
Monroe    12    1
Murray    12    0
Schley    12    1
Seminole    12    0
Baker    11    2
Catoosa    11    0
Irwin    11    0
Oglethorpe    11    1
Pickens    11    2
Toombs    11    1
White    11    0
Miller    10    0
Dodge    9    0
Fannin    9    0
Jones    9    0
Lumpkin    9    0
Madison    9    1
Marion    9    0
Pulaski    9    0
Talbot    9    1
Telfair    9    0
Ben Hill    8    0
Jenkins    8    1
Wilkinson    8    1
Appling    7    0
Banks    7    0
Emanuel    7    0
Berrien    6    0
Brantley    6    1
Cook    6    0
Jasper    6    0
Lincoln    6    0
Rabun    6    0
Stewart    6    0
Taylor    6    2
Union    6    1
Walker    6    0
Warren    6    0
Wilkes    6    0
Lanier    5    0
Putnam    5    0
Screven    5    0
Wilcox    5    0
Candler    4    0
Chattooga    4    1
Gilmer    4    0
Jefferson    4    1
Quitman    4    0
Chattahoochee    3    0
Clinch    3    0
Crawford    3    0
Elbert    3    0
Franklin    3    0
Hart    3    0
Heard    3    1
Mcintosh    3    0
Tattnall    3    0
Towns    3    0
Wayne    3    0
Webster    3    0
Atkinson    2    0
Charlton    2    0
Dade    2    1
Echols    2    0
Twiggs    2    0
Wheeler    2    0
Bleckley    1    0
Hancock    1    0
Jeff Davis    1    0
Long    1    0
Treutlen    1    0
*Unknown    1246    5

*In the final 1,246 cases and 5 deaths, the county of residence were not known. 

Fayetteville woman facing federal charges for allegedly selling products she claimed would protect against viruses

The US Attorney's Office has accused a 34-year-old Fayetteville woman of selling illegal products claiming to protect against viruses. 

“We will take quick action through the Georgia COVID-19 Task Force to put a stop to criminals preying on the public with Coronavirus-related fraud schemes,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. 

Rong Sun -- also known as Vicky Sun -- faces federal charges of illegally selling an unregistered pesticide, illegally importing the unregistered pesticide, and mailing a prohibited article. She made an initial appearance before a US Magistrate in Atlanta on Wednesday. 

According to Pak, Sun allegedly sold an unregistered pesticide -- Toamit Virus Shut Out -- on eBay, claiming it would help protect individuals from viruses.

The product was marketed and sold as "Virus Shut Out" and "Stop the Virus." The eBay listing depicted the removal of viruses by wearing the product.

Read the full story.

Cobb County schools going to 4-day week online

The Cobb County School District announced Friday that students would be moving to a four-day schedule for the rest of the year.

The schedule will run Monday-Thursday, and takes effect on Monday, April 13. The district is currently on Spring Break.

"Each Friday will be an opportunity for students to independently review their progress from the previous week and to catch-up on assignments as needed," the district said in a release. "No new work or assignments will be presented to students on Fridays."

Read the full story.

Gwinnett schools move to four-day week for new assignments

Gwinnett County Public Schools will functionally begin a four-day week next week, with the school system saying there will be no new assignments for students on Fridays.

In an update issued to parents this week, the school system said it would instead use Fridays for other priorities. The new operating schedule begins on Monday, April 13.

Read the full story.

Delta's credit rating takes a hit

The airline industry has been one of the most severely hard-hit by the coronavirus crisis, and Delta is bearing its share of that significant cost.

In a sign of the struggle, the ratings service Fitch downgraded Delta one notch to "BB+" from "BBB-."

College Park hazard pay

The city of College Park announced it had earlier this week approved hazard pay for front line public safety and public works employees during the coronavirus outbreak.

”Our front line responders ensure our city can still function in the midst of a global pandemic and have continued to work, despite the risks,” College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom said in a release.

It was approved in a unanimous vote at Monday's city council meeting.

Georgia Natural Gas donation

Georgia Natural Gas says it is donating $200,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts, part of a wider $2.5 million donation by its parent company, Southern Company.

"The funding will be distributed to various metro Atlanta agencies including Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit organization which provides financial assistance to food service workers in crisis due to an unexpected illness, injury, death of an immediate family member, or housing disaster," a release said. "During the coronavirus crisis, the Giving Kitchen is addressing the needs of food service workers in Georgia who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and/or those who are under a doctor’s orders for a mandatory quarantine."

No Brookhaven Eastern Bunny, after all

Brookhaven had the idea of trying to maintain Easter Bunny appearances in the time of social distancing with a drive-by "parade" around the area. 

"The event was intended to spread some Easter joy in light of all of the other City events canceled in March and April.," a city release said "The Easter Bunny 'parade' was to consist only of the Easter Bunny riding in the back of a Brookhaven Police Department pickup truck. This way, kids of all ages could have spotted Peter Rabbit and Brookhaven Police from their front yards and porches."

But, Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst said it was called off "due to a growing concern that the popularity of the Easter Bunny would exceed reasonable expectations of social distancing."  

New drive-thru testing sites

Two new coronavirus drive-thru testing sites have popped up in the last two days - but you still need pre-approval to visit either of them.

One was opened yesterday by Emory Healthcare at a Children's Healthcare of Atlanta parking deck located at 6 Executive Park Drive NE.

Emory says testing is by appointment only. They ask people to first use their online COVID-19 screening tool and, if you exhibit serious enough symptoms, call their COVID line at 404-712-6843 (operating (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Their nursing team can then schedule a testing appointment.

Emory notes that anyone who turns up without an appointment will be turned away.

Another site, for Douglas and Cobb County residents, has been set up in Douglasville and opens today. It's located at Hunter Memorial Park, address 8830 Gurley Road, in Douglasville.

The city of Douglasville offers this guidance:

"To see if you qualify for COVID-19 testing, call your healthcare provider, a provider at a federally qualified healthcare center or call the Cobb & Douglas Public Health Call Center at 770-514-2300 and it will be determined if a test is needed and then you will be scheduled." 

Major losses at Piedmont Healthcare

The CEO of one metro Atlanta hospital system says responsible steps taken to prepare for treating COVID-19 patients will cause "enormous" financial losses.

Kevin Brown, chief executive of Piedmont Healthcare, declined to name a figure.

"I don't want to throw out dollars, but it will be financial losses like no other health care system has ever seen before," he said.

Read more at The Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Things to know Friday

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