It started on a national level Wednesday night, March 11, with the NBA suspending its season.
The very next day, Gilmer County received its first event cancellation — St. Petrick’s Day.
In an email, Ellijay Police Chief Edward Lacey outlined the reasons the City of Ellijay canceled the permit for the event.
At the time, there were 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) in the state of Georgia.
It was the tip of the iceberg of what was to happen Friday through Monday.
Gilmer County Schools closed for a week, according to a letter from the administration. See more in another story in this newspaper.
The presidential primary in Georgia was suspended and moved to May 19 during the regular state primary by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
“Secretary Raffensperger has represented that all votes already cast in person and all absentee ballots will be counted, and every Georgia voter that has not yet had a chance to cast a ballot in the March 24 elections will be able to do so May 19, along with the elections already scheduled for that date,” a release said.
In a first, the court system in Gilmer County and the rest of the district had all nonessential business suspended by Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda Weaver. The exceptions were for bail and first appearance hearings and emergency orders dealing with safety.
This was followed by a similar order from Georgia’s Chief Supreme Court Justice Harold D. Melton.
Saturday morning, Gov. Brian Kemp declared Georgia’s first ever public health emergency. On Monday, the General Assembly ratified his decision. The declaration gives the governor broad powers to address the crisis.
Many local churches took their services online for at least two Sundays in Gilmer County.
Gilmer County’s Animal Shelter was closed to the public, followed by the East Ellijay City Hall closure. East Ellijay also suspended its municipal court.
As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had added guidance for any large gatherings, “Therefore, CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next eight weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.”
Monday night, the retriction was reduced to 10 people in a group.
In Georgia, on Tuesday, the Georgia Department of Public Health listed 146 cases of Coronavirus identified and one death in Georgia. No cases were reported in Gilmer County.
Monday evening, Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris announced county commissioner offices would be open for employees, but closed to public traffic. He said there would be instructions about contacting the office by phone and email on the door. This will last until April 6.
He said some employees were in the at-risk population, but it was not feasible for them to work from home. The alternative was to close the office to the public.
A list of closures is included below. We will add items as they become available.
Closings and cancellations:
7 Trails Fest
The 7 Trails Fest, scheduled for April 25-26, has been postponed until further notice.
Chattahoochee Tech
Please be advised, effective with the close of business Friday, March 13, through Sunday, March 22, all campuses of Chattahoochee Tech will be closed. This action is in response to concerns about Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the potential impacts to the health and safety of students, faculty and staff.
All college campuses will reopen Monday, March 23. During the next two weeks through Saturday, April 4, as many courses as possible will be transferred to an online/virtual environment as possible. Students will be contacted by their instructors with details. Noncredit instruction, testing services and adult education courses will be conducted as scheduled. Faculty and staff will report as normal as directed by their respective supervisors.
Spring break is scheduled for the week of April 5 through April 12. No classes will be held that week.
Upon return from spring break, the college will continue with online/virtual learning with the possibility of resuming face-to-face component for labs, learning outcome assessments and completing coursework if possible.
Gilmer County Library
All branches of the Sequoyah Regional Library System, including the Gilmer County Library, will be closed until further notice.
Fish Fry
The Ellijay Knights of Columbus are regretfully canceling the remainder of the Friday night fish fry dinners due to the Coronavirus suggested protocols.
Optimist Club
Gilmer Optimist Club rummage and yard sale scheduled for April 17-18 at the Lions Club Fairgrounds has been canceled and will be rescheduled.
Reality Day
Reality Day, scheduled for March 31 at the Gilmer High School gym has been canceled. Everyone involved agreed that it’s best to cancel the event for the safety of both the students and the volunteers. Also canceled is the collaborative meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 18. The three guest presenters will be rescheduled at a later date.
Senior Center
North Georgia Community Action Inc., through our Senior Life Services Program and the Gilmer County Senior Center, value the seniors who live in our local community and care about the health and well-being of those seniors we serve through our services. We seek to keep the seniors and their families in our community informed about developments and issues related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
In an effort to minimize the risk exposure associated with this virus, North Georgia Community Action has made the decision to temporarily suspend congregate activities for the Gilmer County Senior Center as of March 16. We are planning to resume normal senior center operations March 30.
North Georgia Community Action Inc. continues to work with the Division of Aging, the Area Agency on Aging and other service partners on this situation. We will keep our community informed should any further developments or impacts to services be incurred as it relates to the operation of the Gilmer County Senior Center.
Animal Shelter
Until further notice, the Gilmer County Animal Shelter will be closed to all public and volunteers. We are only allowing staff to come in and care for our animals at this time. Animal Control will be running as normal. Calls will be returned as often as possible. Please be patient as we work through this. We are trying to care for the animals already at the shelter, as well as make sure the community is still safe. Please know that we would never allow the animals to go without care. We are still caring for all the animals every day.
Genealogical Society
The March 21 joint meeting of the Gilmer County Genealogical Society and the historical society at the Gilmer County Library have been postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date.
GCHS vice-president and GCGSI member Wayne Hooper has prepared a great program, but due to concerns with Coronavirus (COVID-19) we will observe health care recommendations about cancellation of public gatherings at this time. We look forward to rescheduling this meeting at a later date.
Faith, Hope and Charity
In a proactive effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, Faith, Hope and Charity will be closing until further notice.
Because of the diligent efforts of our volunteers and support of the community, FHC will be able to continue our support of local organizations.
However, this closing includes our benevolence office. In case of an emergency, call 706-635-3045. Benevolence messages will be checked daily. Please hold donations at this time. No pick ups or deliveries will be made.
Learning Center
To ensure the health and safety of staff and students, the Gilmer Learning Center will be closed until further notice.
Pre-K
Gilmer County pre-K registration has been postponed until further notice.
Government
﹣ Early voting has been canceled
﹣ Honorable Chief Judge Brenda S. Weaver of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit, Superior Courts of Pickens, Fannin and Gilmer counties has declared judicial emergency for the continued transmission of Coronavirus throughout the state of Georgia.This declaration affects all courts and clerks’ offices in Pickens, Gilmer and Fannin as it relates to jury service, grand jury service and any nonessential matters.
Jury trials are continued, and no jurors or grand jurors shall report and no jury trials shall be held for a period of 30 days from March 13.
No civil or nonessential criminal matters shall be heard by the courts during this 30-day time period unless they can be conducted via video or teleconferencing with the exception of jail bond hearings, jail first appearance hearings, jail pleas, emergency matters involving children, family violence or stalking or other matters deemed an emergency by the presiding judge.
All parties and attorneys in specially-set hearings that are scheduled to occur between March 13 and April 11 shall contact the assigned judge for direction.
﹣ East Ellijay Municipal Court scheduled for March 25 has been canceled. Anyone who is scheduled to appear March 25 should call 706-276-3111 for information about their court date.
﹣ In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, effective immediately, East Ellijay City Hall will be closed to all public access. City Hall staff will be on-site and will be answering phones. Anyone having business to conduct with the City of East Ellijay is asked to call 706-276-3111 Ext. 21.
﹣ The Gilmer County Commissioners Office is closed to public access until April 6. For assistance, call 706-635-4361
Gilmer Arts
﹣ Spring chorus rehearsals/performance canceled. (Check back for Fall schedule)
﹣ Storytelling canceled for March and April
﹣ Acoustic Blends canceled for March and April
﹣ Volunteer Brunch (March 28) canceled (will be rescheduled for May)
﹣ Exit Laughing (March 27 through April 5) postponed. Opening will be June 26 and will run three weeks
﹣ Auditions for Arsenic & Old Lace (April 14-16) canceled (play in June will be replaced with Exit Laughing)
﹣ BEST Visual Art Opening and Show (April 17 through May 20) cancelled. New date TBD
﹣ Meet the Author (April 18) postponed. New date TBD
﹣ Concert, Connor Lorrie (April 25) cancelled. New date TBD
Gilmer Detention Center
The Gilmer County Detention Center has closed the facility to visitors until further notice.
Nursing Home
Parkside Ellijay Skilled Nursing Care is closed to visitors until further notice.