The Henry County Board of Commissioners and Stockbridge city council have passed resolutions closing some businesses in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Both actions were taken during separate called meetings on Tuesday, March 24.
Henry County previously declared a local emergency on March 17. The board’s emergency resolution ratified the county’s declaration and enacted the following:
- Symptomatic Persons – any persons showing symptoms recognized by the CDC as indicators of COVID-19 should refrain from attending public events, entering public buildings, restaurants, shops, public transportation facilities and all other areas where the public ingresses or egresses. Such person should seek medical attention and follow the directions of their Primary Care Physician until given the clearance to return to public interaction.
- Potentially Exposed Persons – any person who has traveled out of the country within the last thirty (30) days, or has reason to believe he or she has been exposed to COVID-19 should refrain from attending public events, entering public buildings, and all other areas where the public ingresses or egresses.
- Indoor Recreation – all indoor recreation, fitness and entertainment facilities are to close immediately and shall remain closed.
- Eating Establishments – all eating establishments within the county shall be immediately closed to in-person dining and shall provide only delivery, take-out or drive through services. Cafeterias located within medical, industrial, government or other facilities that are performing essential functions are not affected.
- Houses of Worship – all houses of worship shall strive for density reduction in all services, whether scheduled or based upon a life event such as a funeral or baptism, and whenever practical shall practice social distancing. They are encouraged to use social media to broadcast worship services.
- Physical Distancing – citizens of Henry County should not gather in crowds of ten or more people. All businesses remaining open must limit their crowd size, counting all individuals, to ten or less. Furthermore, businesses that cannot maintain social distancing of at least six feet between individuals in the functioning of their business (i.e. hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors, etc) must close.
- Duration – the resolution is effective immediately, March 24, and remains in effect until Tuesday, April 7, at 11:59 pm. The BOC will consider extending, modifying, or allowing the resolution to expire on that date.
The resolution passed 4-2 (Chair Wood, Commissioners Clemmons, Barham and Holmes in favor; Commissioners Wilson and Thomas opposed). A previous motion to table the meeting for one hour to allow the county attorney to prepare a shelter-in-place ordinance failed 2-4 (reverse of the above vote).
At this time, Henry County has NOT enacted a shelter-in-place ordinance. All residents are encouraged to practice physical distancing and limit their trips based on the above guidelines.
Stockbridge closes all non-essential businesses
The Stockbridge city council unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday morning to close all non-essential businesses within the city. The council adopted a list of exempt businesses that can remain open. Excerpts from the list, not reprinted in it’s entirety, include the following:
- grocery stores
- restaurants limited to delivery, take-out or drive through service
- gas stations
- banks and credit unions
- critical trades (plumbers, electricians, HVAC, etc)
- laundry services
- home-based care and services
The full Stockbridge resolution and list of exempt businesses are available on the city’s Facebook page.
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