The following is a news release from the City of Hinesville:
HINESVILLE, Ga. (Mar. 20, 2020) – On Friday, March 20 at 7 p.m., Mayor Allen Brown issued a Local State of Emergency for the City of Hinesville to take effect at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 21.
“In order to better protect and defend the public health of our community, we’ve had to make difficult decisions. Ones that, I feel confident, will help in the defense of our community, but might hurt in the short term,” says Mayor Brown. “I ask that our residents, businesses and faith communities take heed of the CDC’s recommendations – as we are doing – and help protect your families, neighbors and coworkers and the remainder of our community during this unprecedented time.”
The Local State of Emergency will address and enforce the following:
1. That the City Manager shall activate emergency operations plans implicated by this Order and as laid out in the published document URGENT AND IMMEDIATE CHANGES TO CITY OF HINESVILLE OPERATIONAL HOURS;
2. As determined by the City Manager, to the extent possible, City employees should begin teleworking remotely from home;
3. That all gyms and fitness centers, movie theaters, live performance venues, bowling alleys, and arcades shall be closed;
4. That all bars and nightclubs open for on-premise consumption of alcohol shall be closed.
5. That restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments where food is served, may continue preparing and offering food to customers via delivery service, drive-through, or takeout; provided, however, that cafeterias in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice centers, or similar facilities shall not be subject to these restrictions and may continue normal operations;
6. Funerals consisting of more than 10 mourners are encouraged to conduct graveside services only or postpone to a future date;
7. The City of Hinesville issues a recommendation to the faith community for the suspense of in-church services and the utilization of online or streaming options. If electronic delivery of services is not possible, maintaining strict adherence to CDC’s social distancing guidelines of no groups larger than 10 and keeping at least 6 feet between individuals;
8. This Declaration shall take affect 3:00 pm on Saturday, March 21, 2020; and
9. This Declaration shall expire on April 5, 2020 unless otherwise amended, extended, or cancelled by the Mayor.
The full declaration is published to the City’s website.
We encourage Hinesville residents to familiarize themselves with the CDC’s guidelines on evaluating symptoms and contacting their healthcare providers. Please contact your healthcare provider if you begin to feel ill or believe you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
DO NOT arrive at the hospital, your provider’s office or Urgent Care offices without calling. You may also call the Georgia COVID-19 Hotline at 1.844.442.2681.
The COVID-19 situation is a very fluid one - with lots of new information coming in daily, sometimes hourly. As the situation changes, as it inevitably will, the City will continue to share information via social media pages, New Flash alerts and the COVID-19 webpage.
If you would like to sign up for news alerts from the City of Hinesville, visit cityofhinesville.org/list.aspx.
Additional information regarding COVID-19 will be shared as it becomes available via the City’s website and social media accounts. Please visit our COVID-19 page for the latest information out of the City of Hinesville as it relates to our response to the COVID-19 situation in Georgia. For more information, please contact Whitney Morris – Reed, Public Relations Manager, at wmorrisreed@cityofhinesville.org.