Tift Regional Medical Center
(TRMC) early
Tuesday
announced the
third
positive case of the
novel coronavirus
in
Tift County
.
Meanwhile, the
City of Tifton
implemented a
"shelter in place"
directive, an
8 p.m.
curfew
and the temporary
closure
of
"non-essential" businesses
within the city limits.
Tift County followed
with an
8 p.m. curfew
, the
closure
of
some businesses
and a "
voluntary stay safe at home
" policy.
The
third Tift County patient
with a positive
COVID-19
test result is being
isolated
at
home
, TRMC said. As of Tuesday morning, this makes
one inpatient
and
two outpatients
with positive results.
TRMC
officials said they have sent
COVID-19 tests
to labs for
94
patients, and
33
test results have been
received
with
30
negative. TRMC is
awaiting results
for
61
patients.
As of
7 p.m. Tuesday
, the
Ga. Department of Public Health
said there were
1,097
confirmed cases of COVID-19 in
Georgia
and
38
deaths.
Dougherty County
(
Albany
) recorded
101
positive cases – the
third highest
in the state – and
11
deaths.
Worth County
had
four
positive cases;
Turner, Irwin, Ben Hill
, and
Colquitt
counties recorded
one case
each.
TRMC
is shifting all clinic-based
COVID-19 testing
to an
outdoor drive-thru clinic
in its parking garage. Before visiting the hospital or any clinic, individuals who suspect they have COVID-19 symptoms should
first call
Southwell's hotline,
877-719-5787
. Health professionals will then conduct a
telephone triage
and offer
instructions
about whether or not the person should visit the drive-thru clinic.
While
Southwell’s test kits
are
not
at a
critical level
, they are
limited
, officials say.
CITY SETS EMERGENCY DIRECTIVES
Tifton City Council
on
Monday
issued a
shelter-in-place
order effective through
April 7
. The order tells
city residents
to
stay home
except for
specified activities
, such as procuring
food
and necessary
supplies
, visiting
medical offices
and other
"essential businesses,"
and going to work.
"Non-essential"
businesses must
suspend business activities
except for
"minimum basic operations."
For
answers
to some questions about the directives,
Click Here
; to
read
the city's entire
ordinance
regarding its directives,
Click Here
.
COUNTY ASKS RESIDENTS TO VOLUNTARILY STAY HOME
On
Tuesday
, the
Tift County Commission
approved an
emergency administrative order
asking
residents
to
voluntarily stay home
through
April 6
. The order also
temporarily closes
several
types
of
businesses
, including indoor entertainment venues, gyms and fitness centers, and personal services with close physical contact such as hair and nail salons, and massage operations.
Restaurants
must
close dining rooms
and offer only
take-out
and
delivery
services.
Gatherings
of
more than 10
people are also
prohibited
.
Both the city and county imposed an 8 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew.
LOCAL COURTS REMAIN OPEN
Judges in the
Tifton Judicial Circuit
and Tift County judges said their
courts
are all
open
, despite some misinformation circulating.
"While
routine hearings
and
trials
are
postponed
until further notice,
Tift County superior, state, juvenile, magistrate and probate courts
will be
open
during normal business hours to address
emergency matters
affecting persons’
health, safety
and
liberty
as needed," according to a press release.
Officials said
access
to local facilities are
restricted
, and people are asked to
call
the
court offices
if
judicial assistance
is needed.
