The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is committed to providing our readers with the most comprehensive coverage of the deadly coronavirus.
This blog will be updated throughout Thursday, March 19, with news and details of COVID-19 in Georgia.
» Complete coverage: Coronavirus
12:45 p.m.: Recent mandates, such as banning in-restaurant dining and closing some businesses, are "totally out of proportion," said Joe Rogers Jr., the 73-year-old sole board member of Waffle House, the nearly 2,000 restaurant, family-controlled chain based in Norcross. Matt Kempner tells you why.
12:30 p.m.: U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson is under self-quarantine until March 27 after being in contact with a fellow member of Congress who later tested positive for COVID-19, Tia Mitchell reports. "I am asymptomatic and will continue to work from my home in West Point, Ga," Ferguson, a Republican, wrote on Twitter
12:30 p.m.: Several Georgia colleges and universities are offering partial refunds to students for housing and dining plans since the schools are closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Eric Stirgus has the details.
12:15 p.m.:
9:30 a.m.: #MyQuarantineInSixWords is just what it sounds like, Kiersten Willis writes. Twitter users have used six words to describe what life is like as they continue social distancing.
9:15 a.m.: At least five people have died in southwest Georgia this week of apparent coronavirus-related illnesses, and one has died in Atlanta, an ominous sign of the pandemic's worsening toll. Alan Judd has the latest.
6:30 a.m.: Despite postponement of the presidential primary in Georgia, the voting has gone on in Dacula, Arielle Kass reports. There, elections superintendent Heather Coggins decided it was better to get a special city council election over early.
6 a.m.: While there are no coronavirus cases at Fulton County Jail, an inmate is in isolation after officials learned his daughter may have been exposed to the virus, spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said. The inmate, who has been in jail since Friday, will be in isolation for 14 days as a precaution, Raisa Habersham reports.
» Coronavirus in Georgia: stats in real time
» Grocery delivery services have trouble keeping up during social distancing
OVERNIGHT
- Emory Healthcare announced Wednesday evening the first death of one of its patients with a confirmed case of COVID-19, Carrie Teegardin reported. The patient died "despite the heroic efforts of our physicians, nurses and care team," Emory said in a statement.
- Drive-through testing sites for coronavirus began opening in metro Atlanta in recent days, but testing availability remains extremely limited, frustrating worried residents, and a lack of capacity to process tests continues to hamstring hospitals swamped with suspected cases. J. Scott Trubey has the story.
» A message from AJC Editor Kevin Riley
» Coronavirus: How many people have died from the virus in the US?
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