Georgia Coronavirus Updates: 14 Deaths, 485 Cases As Cities Restrict Public Gatherings

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Gov. Brian Kemp delivers an update on coronavirus in Georgia. / GPB News

Gov. Brian Kemp has no plans to enact a statewide quarantine or shutdown of public gatherings while cities and counties across the state place restrictions.

Meanwhile, the death toll from coronavirus rises as both the number of confirmed cases and testing capacity grows.

As of 7 p.m. Friday, March 20, there are 485 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia with 14 reported deaths. Just under 2,400 tests have been performed by state and commercial labs.

Worldwide, more than 250,000 cases and 10,000 deaths have been reported, as well as 87,000 reported recoveries.

Here is the latest coronavirus news from Georgia for Friday, March 20, 2020.

Kemp: no plans for statewide restrictions at this time

There are no plans currently to ban public events, institute a mandatory quarantine or shut down businesses in Georgia as both confirmed cases and testing capacity for COVID-19 continues to grow, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Thursday.

However, the governor outlined a new reality for many Georgians in his digital briefing.

“As you all know, life has drastically changed over the past few weeks here in our state, across our country, and certainly across the world,” he said. “Our Georgia children are now at home, many Georgians are working remotely, our public gatherings are few and far between, and that’s for a very good reason.”

Some cities are imposing limitations to curb the spread of coronavirus

Effective this morning, bars, gyms, bowling alleys and movie theaters are some of the things that have closed in Atlanta.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has issued an executive order directing Atlanta police officers not to enforce laws prohibiting selling alcohol to-go from bars and restaurants.

Restaurants are also limited to takeout or delivery options.

“The fate of cities across the globe will be upon [us] soon if we do not follow recommendations on ways to slow the spread of the coronavirus,” she said in a tweet.

In Savannah, Mayor Van Johnson signed a declaration closing all bars and nightclubs not serving food, effective 8 a.m. Saturday. It also closes other businesses, including gyms, entertainment venues and other gathering places, plus tours.

"When we close businesses, we're also closing livelihoods," Johnson acknowledged, but stressed the importance of avoiding gatherings and close contact.

Death toll at 14

Fourteen people have died from COVID-19 so far, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Kemp said Thursday four deaths are in Dougherty County, two are in Fulton County, and Cobb, Early, Fayette and Floyd have reported one death each. Three new deaths were confirmed Friday, and their locations are unknown.

DPH confirmed two patients at Phoebe Putney Hospital in Albany died Wednesday, while Emory Healthcare announced late Wednesday a patient died "despite the heroic efforts of our physicians, nurses and care team. Last week, a 67-year-old man with underlying health conditions died at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Cobb County.

A struggle to contain an outbreak in southwest Georgia

There are 57 positive COVID-19 cases across the Phoebe Putney Health System in southwest Georgia, the hospital reports, including four deaths. The update as of noon Friday is not fully included in the state’s numbers, as there is a lag in testing and reporting.

Hospital officials also said one death from the illness was confirmed post-mortem, as the person died on the way to the hospital before being tested. 

There are 540 patients awaiting test results at home, and another 70 or so waiting in hospitals.

Chief medical officer Steven Kitchen said that there are problems with some people staying isolated.

"We continue to call and check on people recovering at home and those waiting on test results who have been instructed to self-isolate, and we’re hearing that some them are not following the proper isolation protocol," Kitchen said. "We also know some churches and other organizations are continuing to gather in large groups. In order to minimize the spread of the illness, we urgently need people to pay attention to the experts and follow their guidance to avoid crowds and close contact with others.” 

Gov. Brian Kemp, Congressman Sanford Bishop and members of the Dougherty County delegation released a statement imploring residents to stay home, limit social gatherings and follow guidelines posted by health officials.

Students react to Georgia universities postponing commencement

In the midst of Georgia university students quickly relocating out of their dorms and other student housing, schools that are part of the University System of Georgia announced modifications and cancellations to spring commencements due to COVID-19 concerns.

“I felt like I was going through the five stages of grief,” Georgia State University senior Semira Sawyer said. “At first I was like, ‘OK. It’s cool, whatever.’ Then I pondered a little bit and was like, ‘This is kind of not OK and I’m kind of pissed off about it.”

Universities around the state, including Georgia State University and University of Georgia, made their own announcements to cancel or postpone spring commencement ceremonies. 

Clark Atlanta University, a private HBCU, rescheduled spring commencement to December 2020. Kennesaw State University has yet to announce a new date for spring ceremonies.

‘Learning As We Go’ Say Doctors Treating COVID-19

One of the largest medical organizations in Georgia is WellStar Health System, including 11 hospitals, dozens of urgent care centers and hundreds of medical providers.

GPB’s Rickey Bevington spoke with WellStar's Medical Director of Population Health Dr. Chirag Patel about the risks of COVID-19 and what health care professionals are experiencing in tackling the virus.

“I think it’s really important to take things into context,” Patel said. “It's important to know the whole number, obviously, because you want to have that to do a lot of population health interventions. But if you really look at the messaging that's coming out, everybody should treat themselves as if they're at risk and act accordingly. We're never going to really know the total number."

More stories: What you need to know about coronavirus symptoms; Coronavirus: Fact or Fiction; Theater owner says it “breaks my whole heart” to cancel its production; Coronavirus poses added challenges to homeless Georgians.