Fulton Says Stay Home Or Face Fine, Jail Time: Coronavirus

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Fulton County announced Tuesday that anyone who violates the Fulton County Board of Health's coronavirus stay-at-home order may face up to a year in jail or up to a $1,000 fine upon conviction.

The order was signed by Dr. S. Elizabeth Ford, district health director of the Fulton County Board of Health, which said all residents of the county are "commanded to stay at their place of residence. All individuals are permitted to leave their places of residence only to provide or receive certain essential services or engage in certain essential activities and work for essential businesses and essential government functions."

If a violation does occur, which would be a misdemeanor, residents could face up to $1,000 in fines, and/or up to a year of jail time.

“It is my hope that this Administrative Order enhances our efforts to keep Fulton County residents safe, and assists in flattening the COVID-19 curve,” Ford said.

According to the order, residents may leave home for essential activities to ensure the health and safety of themselves, their families or their pets. Outdoor activity like walking or running is allowed as long as social distancing is maintained.

Essential businesses in Fulton County include:

• Healthcare operations
• Grocery stores
• Farming, livestock, fishing
• Businesses that provide food, shelter and social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals
• Newspapers, television, radio, and other media services
• Gas stations, auto-supply, auto repair
• Banks
• Hardware stores
• Hotels, motels, conference centers - but only to provide shelter not for gatherings
• Plumbers, electricians, exterminators
• Businesses providing mailing and shipping services, including post office boxes
• Educational institutions for the purpose of facilitating distance learning
• Laundromats, dry cleaners
• Restaurants for drive-thru, deliver or carry-out
• Cafeterias in hospitals, nursing homes, or similar facilities
• Businesses that supply products for people to work from home
• Home-based care, and residential facilities for seniors, adults or children
• Legal or accounting services
• Veterinary care facilities, animal shelters or animal care
• Bike shops
• Childcare facilities
• Janitorial services
• Funeral homes, crematories and cemeteries, while maintaining social distancing
• Utility, water, sewer, gas, electrical, oil refining, roads and highways, railroad, public transportation, ride share, solid waste collection, internet services

All public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited, except for the limited purposes above. Nothing in the order prohibits the gathering of members of a household or living unit.

The order will remain in place until rescinded.

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GA Coronavirus: 31 New Deaths, Nearly 1,000 Hospitalized

As of Wednesday afternoon, Fulton County's 624 cases of coronavirus are the most of any Georgia locality. The next highest totals are 480 in Dougherty County, DeKalb with 365 cases, Cobb with 293 cases, Gwinnett with 250 cases, Bartow with 144 cases, Carroll with 131 cases and Clayton with 122 cases.

Of those counties, Dougherty has the most deaths in the state with 27. Fulton has had 19 deaths, Cobb had 15, Lee has had seven, Clarke had five, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Bartow, Cherokee, Fayette, and Houston each had four, Clayton had three, and Henry, Douglas, Coweta, Terrell, Rockdale, Floyd, Sumter, Chatham, and Barrow each had two deaths.

On March 23, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed a 14-day stay at home order for the city of Atlanta. She made the announcement on Twitter, saying the decision was made "based upon our density & specific needs/concerns in Atlanta."

"Given our population density, high rate of asthma, and various underlying health conditions found within our city's populations, I am issuing a Stay at Home Order for Atlantans," Bottoms said in a news release.

The order states that all city of Atlanta residents are told to stay home. Excluded groups include essential services, essential activities, and those who work for government services.

"Until we flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections, the city must exercise every reasonable power to slow the spread of this virus," Bottoms said. "Across the globe we are seeing a growing sense of urgency, and we must all make some sacrifices to break the chain of infections and avert a worst-case scenario."

All bars and nightclubs that do not serve food are temporarily closed. Also closed are gyms and fitness centers, movie theaters, live performance venues, bowling alleys, and arcades, and private social clubs.

She said the order doesn't include the Atlanta BeltLine, parks, essential businesses, parks or takeout at restaurants. Outdoor activity such as walking, hiking, or running is still permitted as long as people practice social distancing.

Bottoms said that people can still go to grocery stores, but non-essential businesses must halt operations.

That same day, Gov. Brian Kemp banned groups of more than 10 people, and "medically fragile" residents need to isolate.

In the same order, Kemp closed bars and nightclubs, banned groups of more than 10 people, and issued a shelter-in-place order for those who are medically fragile until April 6.

The Georgia Department of Public Health will now be able to close businesses or nonprofits, including churches, that don't follow the new orders.

Kemp said businesses and grocery stores that can maintain a six-foot distance between customers can remain open.

"This order will close all bars and nightclubs, and it will ban all gatherings of 10 or more people unless you can maintain at least six feet between people at all times," Kemp said. "The Department of Public Health will be empowered to close any business, establishment, non-profit, or organization for noncompliance. These measures were developed using guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Georgia Department of Public Health. This order will go into effect at noon Tuesday and expire at noon on Monday, April 6.

"These measures are intended to ensure the health and safety of Georgians across our state, and I ask for everyone's cooperation over the next two weeks. They will protect the medically fragile, mitigate potential exposure in public venues, and allow the state to ramp up emergency preparedness efforts as cases increase in each region."

Related: GA Coronavirus: Gov. Kemp Orders Schools Closed Through April 24