DeKalb County plans to close its libraries over the spread of the coronavirus.
During an emergency meeting Friday, the Board of Trustees of the DeKalb County Public Library voted to shut down its branches for an undetermined amount of time, starting at the end of the day on Saturday, March 14.
The library system operates about 20 branches across the county. For now, library employees will continue to work and be paid, said Alison Weissinger, the county's library director. She said there are other ways staff members can serve the public even if the physical branches are closed; the library system offers several online services.
» COMPLETE COVERAGE: Coronavirus in Georgia
“Many public libraries throughout the country are choosing to close,” Weissinger said during the meeting, “so that they are protecting staff, protecting patrons, since we are a gathering point.”
The county will continue to monitor the situation in order to decide when to open back up. All library-sponsored programs in DeKalb are also canceled through March 31.
The decision comes a day after the DeKalb County School District announced it would be closing schools and switching to digital learning days "until further notice."
Concerns over the coronavirus have caused many public events and services in metro Atlanta and across the country to cancel.
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