The Habersham County Commission today declared a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioners unanimously approved a temporary state of emergency order that will go into effect Sunday, March 29 and will remain in effect for the next two weeks, through April 11.
The order does not limit business operations within the county far beyond what has already been ordered by the state. It does shut down dining areas in restaurants in the unincorporated areas of Habersham and limits wineries and liquor stores to on-site sales with off-premise consumption only.
The order strongly urges Habersham County residents to shelter in place for the next two weeks.
The order also reinforces previous orders by Gov. Brian Kemp to maintain social distancing and limit private and community gatherings to no more than ten people at a time.
Commissioners struck down language that would have resulted in fines and possibly jail time for businesses that willfully defy the order. They left intact language that empowers the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office and other county departments to enforce compliance through information and education.
Individuals, including business owners, who are willfully non-compliant may be subject to citation.
READ Habersham County Emergency Declaration
Watch meeting here
Due to social distancing restrictions, commissioners met remotely. Habersham County Attorney Donnie Hunt, County Manager Phil Sutton, County Clerk Lindsay Underwood, and Commission Chair Stacy Hall manned the call from the county administration building. Commissioners Natalie Crawford, Dustin Mealor, Jimmy Tench, and Tim Stamey joined by phone.
The meeting, which originally was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. instead started at 9:30 a.m. That’s because so many members of the public dialed into the teleconference that it overloaded the system. Commissioners reverted to a conference call and Now Habersham live-streamed the meeting. You may view it here in its entirety or on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/nowhabersham/.
Watch it live here on nowhabersham.com or on the Now Habersham Facebook page.
