Cobb Extends COVID-19 State Of Emergency

COBB COUNTY, GA — Cobb County's COVID-19 state of emergency was set to expire Friday, but Lisa Cupid, chair of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, extended the emergency order for another month.

Cupid first signed the emergency order Aug. 20 due to rising hospitalizations and critically-low supply of critical care beds in local hospitals, as well as increasing COVID-19 cases and "low vaccination rates compared to other parts of the country," the original order reads. It would have expired at midnight Friday without the extension.

Despite Cobb's COVID-19 case rate decreasing since then, county numbers are still more than seven times the level of what is considered to be high risk for COVID-19 transmission, Cupid said, which is the reason for the extension. According to Cobb & Douglas Public Health, the 14-day case rate for Cobb County is 731 cases per 100,000 county residents as of Thursday — and "high risk" is considered to be anything over 100 cases per 100,000 residents.

“We continue to need to have the ability to more resources quickly and provide ways for people to participate in our county government activities in a safe manner,” Cupid said in a news release Friday.

The extension of the state of emergency allows the county to keep its Emergency Operations Plan in place, which creates a smoother transition of resources between the county and partner organizations. A new measure in the order allows some public meetings or portions of meetings to be held remotely, the release said.

Cobb County still has a mask mandate issued for all county public buildings, as well as social distancing occupancy limits in meeting rooms.

The state of emergency extension expires Oct. 17, unless rescinded, amended or extended again.

Related:

• COVID-19 State Of Emergency Declared In Cobb County
• Mask Mandate To Return In Cobb County Public Buildings