Coronavirus in Georgia

March 26, 2020 Dunwoody: Left to right - Matt Blackburn, Shannon Blackburn, Jackson-4 and Henley-7 walked past one of several "Everything will be OK" yard signs along Trailridge Lane in Dunwoody where a group called CREATE Dunwoody a non profit raising money from the sales of the yard signs that will help raise much needed funds for artists and art teachers that are impacted financially during the crisis. The profits will go to local artists and art teachers “who have been financially impacted from gallery, studio and school closings due to coronavirus,” according to Create Dunwoody, an organization that promotes the arts in Dunwoody. The impact of the coronavirus in Georgia was evident everywhere on Thursday, March 26, 2020 - from less traveled streets, public service billboards and people staying home. Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the state public health commissioner, says the State of Georgia has several “hotspots” of outbreaks, including in Albany, Bartow County, Dublin and Rome. In “virtually all these cases,” at least some of the spread was linked to “large church services,” she said. In Dougherty County, for instance, the coronavirus outbreak has been traced to two funeral services in late February and early March. Toomey told clergy that churches, synagogues and mosques that have the technical capacity to offer online services should do so. “This is a short period of inconvenience and worry, but if we invest in this collectively as a community we can help stop this virus,” she said. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM