COVID-19 PHOTOS: SIGNS OF THE TIME

COVID-19

COVID-19 PHOTOS: SIGNS OF THE TIME

March18, 2020 Atlanta - A woman walks past a âÃÃºEverything Will Be OkâÃÃ¹ sign outside Custom Signs Today on Peachtree Street in midtown on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

March 27, 2020 Stone Mountain Park: Left to right- Ruth Ann North and sons, Andy-3 and Jack-5 wait for husband/dad, Ian to get back from his run on Friday, March 27, 2020. The Chamblee family usually visits the park twice a month but trips have been more frequent because of their closed local parks. Stone Mountain Park has signs placed throughout the park reminding visitors about social distancing as its attractions are closed, but nature trails open. Signs are popping up everywhere related to Covid-19. Georgia is under a particularly brutal siege from the novel coronavirus, a situation unlikely to end for weeks, or even longer. Only five states have reported more deaths than Georgia from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the latest available data. And even though the state has tested only the sickest patients, excluding those who exhibit no severe symptoms of the disease, Georgia still ranks 10th nationally in confirmed cases. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp pleaded with Georgians during a Thursday statewide televised event to stay home and practice social distancing even as he stressed more drastic measures weren't yet needed to stem the disease's spread. Georgia's confirmed coronavirus cases soared past 1,600 on Thursday, roughly doubling the numbers reported by state health officials just four days ago. Over the past two weeks, the disease has claimed the lives of at least 56 Georgians. Kemp on Thursday ordered k-12 public schools shut down through April 24 though he stopped short of canceling schools through the end of the year. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

March 29, 2020 Atlanta: âÃÃ® MIND THE GAP âÃÃ® A sign encourages those using the Atlanta BeltLine trail to maintain six feet of distance on Sunday, March 29, 2020, in Atlanta. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

March 27, 2020 Atlanta: GDOT electronic signs across the metro were displaying COVID-19 messages for motorists Monday morning, March 30, 2020, this one on NB I-85 near Central Avenue in Hapeville. For the third day in a row, the number of new coronavirus cases has slowed significantly in Georgia, even as deaths continue to climb. There are now at least 2,809 confirmed cases of the virus statewide, according to the latest data released Monday by the Georgia Department of Public Health. The latest figures are an increase of less than 5% from SundayâÃÃ´s cases, much less than the average daily growth the state saw last week. Eighty-seven Georgians have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel virus, up from 83 reported on Sunday. Less than one-third of those infected are hospitalized. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

March 25, 2020 Suwanee: Fifth grade teacher Kirsten Zingleman decorates her vehicle as teachers from Roberts Elementary prepare to hold an inspirational school parade driving through area neighborhoods for some face-to-face contact while still maintaining social distance to ease the separation anxiety of their students during the coronavirus on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, in Suwanee. Although distance learning is allowing kids to connect with teachers and get lessons done, the personal touch is missing. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

03/17/2020 -- Sandy Springs, Georgia -- An electronic billboard shows an informative message from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Sandy Springs, Tuesday, March, 17, 2020. As of March 16, Georgia has had more than 100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has reached the level of global pandemic in the past week, causing panic among United States citizens. (ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

March 18, 2020 Atlanta: A sign says it all to passing motorists at Murphey Candler Elementary School at 6775 S Goddard Road in Lithonia, DeKalb County on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Gov. Brian Kemp ordered the closure of all public elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools in Georgia that began Wednesday and will continue through the end of the month as the state scrambles to contain the coronavirus pandemic. School districts accounting for more than 1.7 million of GeorgiaâÃÃ´s 1.8 million students had already suspended classes, though some rural schools have remained open. And most Georgia colleges shifted to online coursework last week. Just over two weeks after the first confirmed coronavirus case in Georgia, much of the state is practicing social distancing, with restaurants, theaters and other social gathering places closing down or reducing hours in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

200319-Atlanta-A lone pedestrian makes his way down Peachtree Street in Midtown on Thursday morning March 19, 2020. Many businesses in the area are now closed or working reduced hours due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ben@BenGray.com for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

03/17/2020 -- Atlanta, Georgia -- Bicyclist ride past a sign displayed o the urging citizens to wash their hands is displayed outside the Krog Street Tunnel in Atlanta's Cabbagetown community, Tuesday, March, 17, 2020. A variation of the message to "Wash Your Hands" can be found throughout Metro-Atlanta, from billboards to informative brochures from the Georgia Department of Public Health. As of March 16, Georgia has had more than 100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has reached the level of global pandemic in the past week, causing panic among United States citizens. (ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

March 26, 2020 Cartersville: A nurse passes by a sign leaving the Cartersville Medical Center where many patients have been confirmed to have COVID-19 and several have died from the local community that has been hard hit by the coronavirus on Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Cartersville. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

March 16, 2020 - Atlanta - Signs in the senate chamber say "Don't shake hands". Georgia lawmakers gathered in an extraordinary special session on Monday and voted to grant Gov. Brian Kemp sweeping new powers to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. It's the first time in state history a governor has declared a public health emergency, and Kemp cast it as essential to deploy all available resources to contain a disease that's sickened dozens of Georgians and has killed one. Bob Andres / robert.andres@ajc.com

03/18/2020 -- Dunwoody, Georgia -- A Dunwoody Police electronic sign gives a hopeful message to drivers, near the intersection of Ashford-Dunwoody Road and Hammond Drive, in Dunwoody, Wednesday, March, 18, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

Paper stars and letters that spell, âÃÃºheroes work hereâÃÃ¹ decorate the entrance sign for Kennestone Hospital on Friday, March 27, 2020, in Marietta, Georgia. Kennestone is one of several of hospitals in Georgia treating patients with the coronavirus. (Christina Matacotta, for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

March 27, 2020 Atlanta: GDOT electronic signs across the metro were displaying COVID-19 messages for motorists Monday morning, March 30, 2020, this one on NB I-85 near the Brookwood exchange. For the third day in a row, the number of new coronavirus cases has slowed significantly in Georgia, even as deaths continue to climb. There are now at least 2,809 confirmed cases of the virus statewide, according to the latest data released Monday by the Georgia Department of Public Health. The latest figures are an increase of less than 5% from SundayâÃÃ´s cases, much less than the average daily growth the state saw last week. Eighty-seven Georgians have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel virus, up from 83 reported on Sunday. Less than one-third of those infected are hospitalized. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

April 1, 2020 Covington: The Fairview Elementary School sign in Newton County says it all as Georgia Governor Brian Kemp annouces the state is closing schools for the rest of the year on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, in Covington. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

April 2, 2020 Athens: Local schools and churches are on shutdown but the sign at David C. Barrow Elementary School posts what is fast becoming a national motto on Thursday, April 2, 2020, in Athens, where a mandatory shelter in place has been in effect long before many metro Atlanta towns took similar steps. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

04/07/2020 - Atlanta, Georgia - The exterior of the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Tuesday, April 7, 2020. State officials are quietly preparing to establish three large emergency hospitals across Georgia, including one at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, as they race to open more beds ahead of an expected surge in coronavirus cases. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

April 9, 2020 Atlanta: A building on the skyline bears the message thanks frontline workers behind the Skyview Ferris Wheel bathed in blue as part of an initiative to salute essential workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, April 9, 2020, in Atlanta. The Light It Blue event includes more than 150 major sports and entertainment venues and historic landmarks and buildings across the United States. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

03/18/2020 -- Dunwoody, Georgia -- A sign informing customers of a temporary closure is displayed on the entrance door of The Apple Store at Perimeter Center Mall in Dunwoody, Wednesday, March, 18, 2020. Perimeter Center Mall has created reduced hours for stores that will remain open during the threat of coronavirus. Many stores in the mall, including Macy's and Nordstrom, are closed until further notice due to COVID-19. (ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

March 26, 2020 College Park: Frank Battle papers his windows to inform his customers he is closed for COVID-19 while closing up his barbershop business, The Shop on Mainstreet, on Thursday, March 26, 2020, in College Park. A patchwork of local officials, not the governor or president, this week ordered the closure of businesses across the state and forced people to shutter inside their homes over fears of COVID-19. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

April 2, 2020 Athens: Mayor Kelly Girtz films one of his public service video addresses by the North Oconee River in Dudley Park to encourage and inform local residents on Thursday, April 2, 2020, in Athens, where a mandatory shelter in place has been in effect long before many metro Atlanta towns took similar steps. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

03/03/2020 -- Marietta, Georgia -- Signs warning patients of Coronavirus are displayed without the American Family Care, located at 481 Ernest W Barrett Pkwy SW, in Marietta, Tuesday, March 3, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

04/03/2020 - Rome, Georgia - An encouraging sign is displayed at the Bert Brooks Tire Center in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

April 16, 2020 Atlanta: A shout out to frontline workers during the COVID-19 crisis was expressed by a banner hanging from the Jackson Street Bridge in Atlanta on Thursday, April, 16, 2020 visible to westbound motorists on the John Lewis Freedom Parkway. As of Wednesday evening, 15,260 Georgians had tested positive for COVID-19. That figure represented an increase of 682 cases in 24 hours. Georgia will dramatically expand testing for the novel coronavirus, following weeks of diagnostic rationing that obscured the pandemicâÃÃ´s full effects. For the first time in Georgia, tests will be offered to anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, state officials said Wednesday. Those symptoms include fever, fatigue and a dry cough. But the stateâÃÃ´s public health department has only 5,000 test kits on hand, a tiny fraction of the number that experts say are needed to track and contain the virus. The state has signed a contract to buy additional kits from a Sandy Springs-based company, Ipsum Diagnostics, which recently received emergency federal approval to deploy its newly developed tests. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Signs are posted along the Beltline, urging people to stay separated in Atlanta, March 28, 2020. STEVE SCHAEFER / SPECIAL TO THE AJC

200319-Atlanta-A sampling of coronavirus-related signs seen at businesses in Midtown Atlanta on Thursday morning March 19, 2020. Ben@BenGray.com for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

March 26, 2020 Atlanta: A COVID-19 public service message was visible over the Atlanta downtown connector to southbound motorists on the 80-foot by 25-foot digital sign on the Corey Tower on Thursday, March 26, 2020. 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 âÃÃºhotspotsâÃÃ¹ of outbreaks, including in Albany, Bartow County, Dublin and Rome. In âÃÃºvirtually all these cases,âÃÃ¹ at least some of the spread was linked to âÃÃºlarge church services,âÃÃ¹ 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. âÃÃºThis is a short period of inconvenience and worry, but if we invest in this collectively as a community we can help stop this virus,âÃÃ¹ she said. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

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 Ã¬who have been financially impacted from gallery, studio and school closings due to coronavirus,Ã® 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 âÃÃºhotspotsâÃÃ¹ of outbreaks, including in Albany, Bartow County, Dublin and Rome. In âÃÃºvirtually all these cases,âÃÃ¹ at least some of the spread was linked to âÃÃºlarge church services,âÃÃ¹ 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. âÃÃºThis is a short period of inconvenience and worry, but if we invest in this collectively as a community we can help stop this virus,âÃÃ¹ she said. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

March 27, 2020 Atlanta: Marcia Soldat walks her dog, Duke past a sign offering prayer support to the community posted in front of Decatur First United Methodist Church 300 E Ponce de Leon Ave in Decatur on Friday March 27, 2020. Signs are popping up everywhere related to Covid-19. Georgia is under a particularly brutal siege from the novel coronavirus, a situation unlikely to end for weeks, or even longer. Only five states have reported more deaths than Georgia from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the latest available data. And even though the state has tested only the sickest patients, excluding those who exhibit no severe symptoms of the disease, Georgia still ranks 10th nationally in confirmed cases. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp pleaded with Georgians during a Thursday statewide televised event to stay home and practice social distancing even as he stressed more drastic measures werenâÃÃ´t yet needed to stem the diseaseâÃÃ´s spread. GeorgiaâÃÃ´s confirmed coronavirus cases soared past 1,600 on Thursday, roughly doubling the numbers reported by state health officials just four days ago. Over the past two weeks, the disease has claimed the lives of at least 56 Georgians. Kemp on Thursday ordered k-12 public schools shut down through April 24 though he stopped short of canceling schools through the end of the year. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

March 27, 2020 Stone Mountain Park: Stone Mountain Park's electronic sign at its main entrance reminds visitors about social distancing Friday, March 27, 2020 as its attractions are closed, but nature trails open. Signs are popping up everywhere related to Covid-19. Georgia is under a particularly brutal siege from the novel coronavirus, a situation unlikely to end for weeks, or even longer. Only five states have reported more deaths than Georgia from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the latest available data. And even though the state has tested only the sickest patients, excluding those who exhibit no severe symptoms of the disease, Georgia still ranks 10th nationally in confirmed cases. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp pleaded with Georgians during a Thursday statewide televised event to stay home and practice social distancing even as he stressed more drastic measures werenâÃÃ´t yet needed to stem the diseaseâÃÃ´s spread. GeorgiaâÃÃ´s confirmed coronavirus cases soared past 1,600 on Thursday, roughly doubling the numbers reported by state health officials just four days ago. Over the past two weeks, the disease has claimed the lives of at least 56 Georgians. Kemp on Thursday ordered k-12 public schools shut down through April 24 though he stopped short of canceling schools through the end of the year. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Signs are posted along the Beltline, urging people to stay separated in Atlanta, March 28, 2020. STEVE SCHAEFER / SPECIAL TO THE AJC

Robbie Dunbar holds up a sign during the sunrise Easter Drive-in church service at the Life Church Smyrna Assembly of God Sunday in Smyrna April 12, 2020. STEVE SCHAEFER / SPECIAL TO THE AJC

03/17/2020 -- Atlanta, Georgia -- The Corey Tower displays a message asking all that see it to "Wash Your Hands" in Downtown Atlanta, Tuesday, March, 17, 2020. A variation of the message to "Wash Your Hands" can be found throughout Metro-Atlanta, from billboards to informative brochures from the Georgia Department of Public Health. As of March 16, Georgia has had more than 100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has reached the level of global pandemic in the past week, causing panic among United States citizens. (ALYSSA POINTER/ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

200415-Tucker- A sign thanks employees outside of the Kroger on Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker on Wednesday afternoon April 15, 2020. Ben@BenGray.com for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

TYBEE ISLAND, GA - APRIL 4, 2020: A not so welcoming sign greets visitors to Tybee Island on Highway 80 at the entrance to the island. Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order allowing people to exercise outside, with social distancing of at least 6 feet. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

April 15, 2020 Atlanta: Allegra Stanek walks her dog Memphis past the sign reading, "Be safe Atlanta" at Hotel Clermont at 789 Ponce De Leon Ave NE in Atlanta. The worst may be yet to come in the pandemic. The number of critically ill patients is expected to surge in coming days, reaching the peak demand on health care resources by May 1. By May 3, projections show deaths in Georgia will reach their peak. Since the outbreak began, 2,759 patients have been hospitalized across the state, including 67 more since Monday night. At a news conference Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp said preparations are being made at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta to set up hundreds of beds to ease the strain on local hospitals. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

04/03/2020 - Rome, Georgia - The word "resilience" is displayed in the lawn outside of Redmond Regional Medical Center in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

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March18, 2020 Atlanta - A woman walks past a âÃÃºEverything Will Be OkâÃÃ¹ sign outside Custom Signs Today on Peachtree Street in midtown on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

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