Cobb County will remain in a pandemic state of emergency for at least 30 more days.
Chairwoman Lisa Cupid on Friday extended her emergency order for a second time, keeping the county’s emergency operations plan in place through March 19.
COVID-19 cases have dropped precipitously since their January peak, but remain at what county public health officials consider an unacceptably high level of community transmission.
As of Monday, Cobb registered a two-week average of 243 new cases per 100,000 people, according to state data. More than 11% of reported tests are coming back positive, over double the 5% threshold that the White House Coronavirus Task Force considers safe for communities to lift restrictions.
The order allows some meetings to be held virtually, but Cobb County’s Board of Commissioners plans to meet in person for its regular meeting Tuesday night with masks and social distancing rules in place.
Vaccinated people are far less likely to have severe symptoms or die from the virus, but only 60% of Cobb County residents are fully vaccinated. Only 25% have received a booster shot, the order says.
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