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COVID-19 Information and Alerts
Newton County Offices Closed
The Newton County Administration Building, Historic Courthouse, Animal Services and Turner Lake Complex are all closed. Fire Services and the Newton County Landfill and Convenience Centers will be open. The Judicial Center will be open to handle essential matters.
During the closure, Newton County departments will remain staffed in limited capacity in order to serve the public remotely and continue to deliver essential services.
The closure is in effect until at least June 15, 2020.
During this time period Newton County will continue to provide emergency services, concentrate on emergency repairs through public works, serve priority court cases, tend to emergency Animal Services issues and continue receiving absentee ballots. The County will not accept new applications for permitting of new development of construction but will continue to facilitate building inspections, credit card payments for re-inspection fees, providing Certificates of Occupancy, answering any questions, etc. The Newton County landfill and Convenience Centers will remain open as scheduled.
“Limiting risk of exposure and following the recommendations of the President, CDC and Governor is the best course of action at this time,” County Manager Lloyd Kerr said. “We take our service to the public very seriously and have implemented these changes after much discussion and preparation. We will continue to operate for the tax payers of Newton County as best we can with limited staff via our remote tools.
“This is the best way to remain serving the public with essential services while preserving the health of our staff and those who would visit our offices.”
General Information and Actions
COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, is a new virus that causes fever, cough and shortness of breath. The virus can cause severe illness including pneumonia in high risk populations such as older adults and people with chronic medical conditions. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
The virus impacts us all. Here you can find updated information and facts on this pandemic. Newton County has taken steps to try to stop the spread of COVID-19 and put safety measures in place for the community by:
- Closing non-essential government offices
- Enacting a Shelter at Home Ordinance
- Following the Governor’s Shelter at Home Ordinance
- Informing the public on COVID-19 best practices
The President of the United States, Center for Disease Control, Governor and the Public Health Department are the lead agencies in the fight against COVID-19 and are making new procedures and policies daily. Please continue to check here for updates.
Governor Kemp Announces Reopening of Some Businesses Starting April 24
Governor Brian Kemp announced steps Monday, April 20, to begin to reopen Georgia’s economy. You can read the Governor’s remarks here and view the Executive Order he signed today here. You can also find President Trump’s Guidelines for Reopening America here.
Included in the Executive Order:
- Medical practices, dental practices, orthodontics practices, optometry practices, physical therapists, ambulatory surgical centers, physicians performing elective surgeries, healthcare institutions, medical facilities and any and all other healthcare-related practices and services that have ceased operations should begin treating patients in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service guidelines and provisions of the Executive Order.
- April 24 – All gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, estheticians, hair designers, massage therapists may begin in-person Minimum Basic Operations as defined by the Executive Order.
Additionally, in his remarks he said:
- April 27 - Subject to social distancing and sanitation mandates, theaters, private social clubs and restaurant dine-in services will be allowed to reopen.
- Bars, nightclubs, operators of amusement park rides and live performance venues will remain closed.
- The Shelter in Place Order is still active and will expire on April 30 at 11:59 p.m.
- Medically fragile and elderly Georgians should shelter in place at least through May 13.
- For places of worship, holding in-person services is allowed, but under Phase One guidelines, it must be done accordance with strict social distance protocols.