March 27, 2020 Stone Mountain Park: Stone Mountain Park's electronic sign at its main entrance reminds visitors about social distancing Friday, March 27, 2020 as its attractions are closed, but nature trails open. Signs are popping up everywhere related to Covid-19. Georgia is under a particularly brutal siege from the novel coronavirus, a situation unlikely to end for weeks, or even longer. Only five states have reported more deaths than Georgia from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the latest available data. And even though the state has tested only the sickest patients, excluding those who exhibit no severe symptoms of the disease, Georgia still ranks 10th nationally in confirmed cases. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp pleaded with Georgians during a Thursday statewide televised event to stay home and practice social distancing even as he stressed more drastic measures weren’t yet needed to stem the disease’s spread. Georgia’s confirmed coronavirus cases soared past 1,600 on Thursday, roughly doubling the numbers reported by state health officials just four days ago. Over the past two weeks, the disease has claimed the lives of at least 56 Georgians. Kemp on Thursday ordered k-12 public schools shut down through April 24 though he stopped short of canceling schools through the end of the year. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM