Photograph by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
On Tuesday, the governor extended an executive order to keep bars, nightclubs, and live entertainment venues closed for the rest of the month. Here’s your Wednesday morning update:
• As of publication time, a total of 35,245 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Georgia. 1,493 people have died. 273,904 tests have been conducted. A total of 6,228 of those tested were hospitalized at the time. [GA Dept. of Public Health]
• The state has once again updated the COVID-19 dashboard linked above with new charts that show the virus’s progression over time in each county. Interestingly, the Fulton County graph now shows April 29 reporting the highest amount of confirmed cases—122—in a single day. (The state has been ramping up testing in the past few weeks.) Doughtery County, which was pummeled at the beginning of the outbreak, hit a sharp peak on March 30 with 76 confirmed cases and has since reduced daily case totals to about 10 per day. Recent spikes in Hall County are also visible. [GA Dept. of Public Health]
• Governor Brian Kemp signed a new executive order that will keep bars, nightclubs, amusement parks, and live entertainment venues closed through at least May 31. The order also extends most of the provisions in the previous executive order—no gatherings of more than 10 people, various safety rules for businesses—through the end of the month. Restaurants can now seat 10 people per table (as opposed to six) and have 10 patrons per 300 square feet of restaurant space. Childcare facilities can now have 20 children per classroom as opposed to 10. Summer day camps can also re-open with enhanced safety measures—overnight camps will remain closed. The state is also continuing to ramp up its contact tracing program. [AJC]
• You’re not crazy—your grocery bills have been higher lately. Grocery prices in the U.S. rose 2.6 percent in April, the largest jump in nearly 50 years. Prices on meat, poultry, and eggs rose the most, and cereals and bakery items saw their largest price increases ever. [AJC]
• Gas prices are starting to tick back up too as businesses re-open and more people travel. WSB-TV reports Georgia’s average as $1.65 per gallon, up three cents from last week. Prices are still a far cry from this time last year, when the average was $2.68 per gallon. [WSB-TV]
• Anxious drivers, rejoice: Governor Kemp has rolled back the order allowing teens to obtain driver’s licenses without taking the road test. The 20,000 teens who already received licenses under the previous order will have to pass a road test by September 30. [AJC]
• Piedmont Healthcare is among those locally who are now offering COVID-19 antibody tests, which can determine if you had the disease in the past. Antibodies don’t guarantee immunity, but the data helps researchers understand potential immunity and also better understand the disease’s spread. Piedmont’s website notes that if you’ve previously had a positive COVID-19 test, you don’t need antibody testing—you presumably have them. More information on scheduling an antibody test can be found here. [Piedmont Healthcare]
• The Plaza Theatre is now hosting drive-in movies. Upcoming showings include The Dark Crystal, Clue, and Jurassic Park. Buy tickets here. [Plaza Theatre]
