Gwinnett shelter limits visitors, Lilburn declares state of emergency
The Gwinnett County Animal Shelter will limit visitors to 10 at a time in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, Alan Davis, the director of Gwinnett’s Animal Welfare and Enforcement division said the county was committed to providing a safe environment for people to find their lost pets or adopt pets. Davis said workers were cleaning each day and sanitizing hard surfaces to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
If there are more than 10 visitors at the shelter at once, people will be instructed to wait in their cars or stay outside while remaining more than six feet away from each other.
Owner surrenders are by appointment only and both licensed rescues and approved fosters must also schedule an appointment with shelter staff.
In addition to the increased shelter restrictions, the city of Lilburn declared a state of emergency Monday. It follows Gwinnett County and a number of other Gwinnett cities in making the declaration.
The decision gives the mayor and council more emergency powers and lets officials consider holding public meetings by teleconference.
The state of emergency continues for 30 days.
The city has also closed its facilities to the public, including city hall, and has canceled municipal court dates through mid-April.
About the Author
Arielle Kass covers Gwinnett County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She started at the paper in 2010, and has covered business and local government beats around metro Atlanta. Arielle is a graduate of Emory University.
