Photograph by Martha Williams
On Monday, the governor announced testing criteria would be slightly expanded. Here’s your Tuesday morning update:
• There are now 12,550 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Georgia, 1,071 more cases than yesterday morning. 480 people have died, 38 more than yesterday morning. 2,702 have been hospitalized. 57,038 tests have been conducted. [GA Dept. of Public Health]
• In a Monday afternoon press conference, Governor Brian Kemp stressed that the state’s focus would remain on fighting coronavirus rather than planning to re-open the state, and announced the state would be expanding its testing criteria to include more people, including those who are asymptomatic but who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and workers in critical infrastructure. Kemp admitted the state was behind in testing, and as the AJC reports, Georgia is 45th out of 50 states for tests per capita, and has the 12th highest deaths and 11th highest amount of cases nationally. Kemp also announced he would suspend the state’s mask ordinance in light of the CDC’s recommendation for wearing cloth masks. [AJC]
• The University of Washington’s IHME model, the most widely-cited coronavirus prediction model, is now saying Georgia will hit its peak on hospital resources on May 1 and fatalities on May 2, once again pushing those dates back from late April. [IHME]
• As lack of ridership takes a toll public transit, metro Atlanta’s transit systems are set to receive $370.9 million in federal aid, nearly 300 million of which will go to MARTA. [AJC]
• Emory Healthcare is now performing tests to study patients’ antibody response to COVID-19. Testing will be available to current and some former Emory patients, along with healthcare providers and staff, but Emory plans to expand the testing over time. They’ll start testing 300 people per day with plans to scale up to 5,000 people per day by mid-June. [Emory]
• Where have all the Birds gone? Since Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued Atlanta’s shelter in place order a few weeks ago, e-scooters have disappeared from the streets, as none of the companies were considered essential businesses. [AJC]
• Wild Heaven now has two new coronavirus-themed beers—”Don’t Stand So Close to Me” (a German-style lager) and “Fauci Spring” (an acai pale ale). [Instagram]
• Looking for a stress reliever? A lot of people are turning to their gardens, but even if you don’t have a yard, planting seeds and cultivating herbs can provide something to look forward to. We’ve got some tips from experts at GardenHood and Pike Nurseries here.
• Atlanta United has a few cute ways to remind you how far apart six feet is—5 Spikes (the dog, that is) or 1 Guuuuuuuuuuuuuz. [Twitter]
Social distancing, #ATLUTD style ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/1Ubpertkkl
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) April 13, 2020
