GA Coronavirus: Gov. Kemp Orders Schools Closed Through April 24
This article originally appeared on the Johns Creek Patch
GEORGIA — As the initial closing of Georgia schools nears on Tuesday, Gov. Brian Kemp extended the closure of all public schools in Georgia through April 24.
Kemp signed an executive order on Thursday "that mandates public schools will remain closed for in-person instruction through April 24 - students may return on Monday, April 27," Sen. Jen Jordan tweeted.
"Prior to this date, governor will make a decision on the remainder of school year," Jordan said.
Governor Kemp has just signed the attached Executive Order that mandates public schools will remain closed for in-person instruction through April 24th - students may return on Monday, April 27th.Prior to this date, Governor will make a decision on the remainder of school year. pic.twitter.com/TkkrX5aSQF
— Jen Jordan (@senatorjen) March 26, 2020
Kemp is expected to participate in a live town hall Thursday at 8 p.m. where he will be joined by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency Director Homer Bryson, and Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King.
Kemp said Tuesday he was meeting with State School Superintendent Richard Woods and other local school district officials to agree on a plan that would protect children, families and educators from the spread of the coronavirus, according to the news station.
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Numbers released at noon Thursday showed an increase of 200 coronavirus cases overnight in Georgia.
As of Thursday afternoon, there are 1,525 cases in Georgia, 473 hospitalized and 48 deaths due to coronavirus, the Georgia Department of Public Health said.
Of those numbers, 59 percent are between 18-59-years-old, and those above the age of 60 make up 35 percent.
There have been 7,280 tests done in a commercial lab, with 1,274 coming back positive. The Georgia Department of Public Health has done 1,646 tests, with 251 positive.
Fulton County has the most cases in the state with 211, followed by Dougherty with 156, DeKalb with 129, Cobb with 115, Bartow with 86, Gwinnett with 75, Carroll with 50, Cherokee with 38, Clayton with 32, Lee with 30, Henry with 25, Clarke with 24, Hall with 21, Douglas with 18, Floyd with 16, Forsyth with 15, Fayette with 14, Coweta, Lowndes and Rockdale with 12 each, Spalding with 11, and Columbia, Mitchell, Newton, Polk, Richmond and Troup with 10 each.
Globally, more than 492,000 people have been infected and more than 22,000 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Thursday afternoon. Of that total, more than 69,000 confirmed cases were in the United States, with more than 1,046 U.S. deaths tied to the virus outbreak.
