Coronavirus: Shelter In Place Begins for Alpharetta/Milton

ALPHARETTA, GA — 21 more people have died of the coronavirus in Georgia as of Friday. The news brings the dealt toll to 184 deaths total. Meanwhile a total of 5,831 patients are confirmed to have the virus, of which 1,158 are hospitalized for emergency treatment.

As the coronavirus threat grew, Gov. Brian Kemp ordered a shelter in place order beginning Friday afternoon and running through at least April 13. Under the order, everyone except essential workers must remain home, and should not leave unless they are gathering to get important supplies, food, or see a doctor. Residents can also go out on walks or jogs but must keep at least six feet away from each other.

Related: What You Can, Can't Do Under Georgia's Stay At Home Order

Cases in Fulton County

As of the latest release Friday, there have been 882 cases of coronavirus in Fulton county, and 23 deaths. That makes Fulton the county with the largest number of cases, followed by Dougherty with 560 cases and 30 deaths and Dekalb County with 448 cases and 8 deaths.

Fulton County schools plan graduation alternatives

In an open letter addressing the Class of 2020, Fulton County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney congratulated students for toughing it out, but lamented being unable to honor their graduation with a traditional ceremony. He has asked school principals to start finding alternatives to normal graduation ceremonies. The ceremonies may take place remotely, broadcast over the internet or principals may try to find ways to celebrate the graduating class in person while maintaining the required safe social distancing.

Fulton County: Stay home or risk jail time

Fulton county says anyone who breaks the Fulton County Board of Health's stay-at-home order could end up facing a year in jail or a thousand dollar fine.
Under the order, county residents are required to stay at home unless they work for select essential businesses or are leaving for critical reasons like to buy food. Residents can walk, run or bike or most other outdoor activities as long as they keep a safe social distance of six feet between themselves and all others.

What 'Shelter In Place' order means for Milton

Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood says the city is doing everything it can to keep residents prepared and informed about the coronavirus lockdown. The city is setting up a new website to answer questions about what the shelter in place means and which businesses are closed. Anyone with questions can also reach out to info@cityofmiltonga.us

Directory for open or closed businesses

There's been widespread confusion over what is and isn't closed by the coronavirus pandemic. To help, Patch has set up a simple open-or-closed directory to help business owners share their status with customers.
Businesses who want to report their status can find more information here. We're going to publish the directory on Patch, in our local email newsletters and on our local Facebook pages to ensure that as many community members as possible know the status of your business.
Meanwhile customers who want to know if their favorite local businesses are still up and running can find the directory here.

Other local news, closures and changes

In Alpharetta:

• The Alpharetta Convention and Visitor's Bureau is updating a list of businesses open and closed online.
• All use of all city playgrounds, sports fields, courts, bathrooms and facilities are prohibited, but public use of trails and open spaces are permitted as long as people do not gather in groups of more than 10.
• All city buildings are closed to the public through April 12.
• All meetings of the city's boards and commissions are cancelled through April 12.
• Meetings of the Alpharetta City Council will be conducted electronically.
• The city is closing its Adult Activity Center, which provides recreation programs to seniors, until further notice.
• The public is reminded that many city services such as filing for most permits, paying utility and tax bills, and reporting service needs such as potholes, code enforcement violations, and traffic issues can always be done online by visiting https://www.alpharetta.ga.us/report-pay-apply. Many non-emergency police services can also be accessed online at https://p2c.alpharetta.ga.us/p2c/.
• All public special events organized or sponsored by the City of Alpharetta or for which a City of Alpharetta special events permit has been issued or is required are cancelled through April 12. All indoor and outdoor rentals of city facilities are also cancelled for this period.
• Visit the city's COVID-19 response website, https://alpharettadps.blogspot.com/, for additional response measures as well as the latest guidance and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal, state, and county public health agencies.
• Alpharetta American Legion Post 201 sponsored dances and bingo, as well as any other meeting hall activities are also canceled for the next two weeks. The Alpharetta American Legion Post 201 is also extending until April 30 the deadline for submitting applications for its annual college scholarship program. The $1,000 scholarships are awarded to individuals based on scholastic excellence, community service and school activities. In addition, applicants must submit an original minimum 500 word essay on the topic: "What the word veteran means to me." Applicants must be sponsored by a member of the American Legion and may obtain an application by contacting Scholarship Chairman Tom Billings at tombill03@comcast.net.

In Milton:

• Milton permits the equivalent of "take-out" alcohol sales at Milton table-service restaurants - so that customers can purchase sealed bottles of wine and beer without having to go inside. This also means restaurant owners would not have to apply for "package" permits.
• City authorized restaurants with on-premise alcohol consumption licenses to defer their monthly excise tax payments for "by-the-drink" sales through April 30.
• Milton allows reasonable new temporary signs, allowing establishments to bypass the normal permitting process and the need to walk into city hall.
• Milton extended the deadline renewing Occupational Tax Certificates - a.k.a. business licenses - from March 31 through April 30.
• The City of Milton is open for business. But if you can handle any city-related issues online or over the phone, do so
  • Call the City: 678-242-2500
  • Email the City: info@cityofmiltonga.us
  • Pay Your Taxes Online
  • Pay a Ticket or Fine Online
  • Business Licensing
  • Request a Police Report Online
• All city facilities are closed to the public, including city hall, fire stations, and police headquarters, through April 16.
• Closed Parks
  • BELL MEMORIAL PARK: All six fields and the playground are closed, and bathrooms are locked. The southernmost parking lot is locked, while the northernmost one is open for those wishing to walk the park's trails.
  • BETHWELL COMMUNITY CENTER: CLOSED
  • BROADWELL PAVILION: CLOSED
  • COX ROAD ATHLETIC FACILITY: CLOSED
  • FORMER MILTON COUNTRY CLUB: CLOSED
  • FRIENDSHIP COMMUNITY PARK: CLOSED
• Milton's trails remain open to the public.
• The Milton Police Department has instituted some precautions to protect both the public and officers during the current environment, including asking citizens to conduct routine matters online or by phone rather than visiting the police department.
  • For non-emergency police services, call Milton's dispatch line 24/7 at 678-297-6300, Option 1. If in doubt about which means to contact the police, call 911
  • To ask a routine question, email pdinfo@cityofmiltonga.us
  • To reach the Milton Police Department administrative offices during regular business hours, call 678-242-2570 or 678-242-2770
  • As possible, Milton Police officers will take reports over the phone once complainant contact information has been received by either the dispatch center or police administrative staff
• Milton Municipal Court: not in session through April 12
• All Milton Parks and Recreation programming is canceled through April 12