By Joe Johnson
There were two confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Athens, state Rep. Houston Gaines announced Saturday night on social media platforms.
“This morning, we met with the CEOs of both Athens hospitals and those helping coordinate the local response to COVID-19. We feel it’s important to reiterate to the community the key takeaways from our meeting,” the Republican representative from Georgia’s 117th District stated in posts on Twitter and Facebook.
“As testing becomes more widespread and available, we anticipate positive cases in our community. We want to assure the public that your Athens community healthcare providers, including Piedmont Athens Regional and St. Mary’s, are in constant communication and coordination with each other as well as the state and federal government, the Mayor and the local state legislative delegation. The Athens community is prepared, and we are actively taking steps for continued response - including working to increase testing access locally,” Gaines stated in his social media posts.
He indicated that Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz, state Sens. Bill Cowsert and Frank Ginn attended the meeting, as did state Rep. Spencer Frye.
The Georgia Department of Public Health updates its list of confirmed COVID-19 cases at noon each day, and on Sunday it listed Athens as having two cases of the virus.
According to the DPH’s most recent information, there were 99 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia. Counties with confirmed cases included Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Bartow, Cherokee, Fayette, Floyd, Coweta, Gordon, Gwinnett, Lee, Henry, Lowndes, Polk, and Charlton.
Georgia has experienced one death from the virus, according to the DPH.
Classic City News will update this story as more information becomes available.