UPDATE: DeKalb County's town hall meeting tonight to discuss coronavirus will now be a "virtual" affair.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the public town hall meeting will no longer be held at Rehoboth Baptist Church,” officials said in a news release.
The town hall will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and can be accessed via dekalbcountyga.gov, on Comcast Channel 23 and via Facebook live.
Questions can be submitted via email to townhall@dekalbcountyga.gov and via the county's Facebook and Twitter pages media networks.
Questions will also be accepted during the town hall via phone at 404-371-2400.
DeKalb County's first presumptive cases of coronavirus were reported late Monday. As of Tuesday morning, the state of Georgia had 17 confirmed or presumed positive cases of the virus more formally known as COVID-19.
ORIGINAL STORY, published Monday, March 8: DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and representatives from the local board of health will host a town hall meeting this week to discuss coronavirus.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Rehoboth Baptist Church, located at 2997 Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker.
“We know that residents have many questions,”Dr. Elizabeth Ford, DeKalb’s health director, said in a news release. “This town hall will provide an opportunity to address them. Our goal is simple: to provide facts, dispel any myths and fears, and maintain the trust of the residents we serve and protect.”
No cases of coronavirus — more formally known as COVID-19 — have been reported in DeKalb County.
But Georgia now has 11 presumed coronavirus cases, six of which are still being confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But over the weekend, state health officials confirmed three news cases of the coronavirus in neighboring Fulton County, bringing the state's total to five. Additional cases in Fulton and Gwinnett counties were still being confirmed.
“The DeKalb Emergency Management Agency is ensuring that county departments remain aware and ready to respond and continue operations,” Thurmond said in the news release. “I urge citizens to remain calm and take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of any respiratory virus.”
Officials said Wednesday's town hall meeting will also be shown live on DeKalb County Television (Channel 23 on Comcast) and streamed online.
For more information, call the DeKalb County Board of Health at 404-294-3700.
