As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, the push for Georgians to wear face masks grows stronger. Gov. Brian Kemp and state public health commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey have embarked on a ‘wear a mask’ tour ahead of the July Fourth weekend. And now, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency is preparing to release three million cloth face coverings to schools and emergency management agencies statewide.
The cloth face coverings are washable and reusable and will help protect citizens, teachers, and students as they prepare to return to school and work in the coming months, according to a news release.
“The distribution of these face coverings is in line with current CDC guidance suggesting that they be used when social distancing measures are hard to maintain,” says GEMA/HS Director Homer Bryson. “Since many carriers of COVID-19 are asymptomatic, they can unwittingly spread the disease to those around them. Wearing a face covering is a simple step that can be taken to reduce the risk of transmission by those infected.”
The Department of Education will receive two million of the face coverings to provide to students and teachers as they return for the new school year. School systems will have the flexibility to determine how to distribute the masks.
“As we plan for a return to school this fall, we have worked to provide guidance that is realistic in the K-12 setting, provides for the best possible educational experience for students and – most importantly – keeps students, teachers, staff, and families safe,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods says. “Having access to face coverings is critical as our districts and schools plan for a safe return.”
Local emergency management agencies in 39 counties, including Hall, Jackson, and Stephens counties in Northeast Georgia, will receive the remaining one million face cloth coverings.
Counties receiving the masks were identified by the Department of Public Health as areas where infection rates are rising or there may be an increased risk of transmission. Each county EMA will develop a plan to distribute the face coverings in their communities, paying special attention to the homeless population and economically challenged areas.
EMAs in the following Georgia counties will receive the cloth face coverings:
Fulton
Gwinnett
Cobb
Dekalb
Chatham
Clayton
Cherokee
Henry
Muscogee
Hall
Douglas
Lowndes
Newton
Whitfield
Bartow
Floyd
Glynn
Bulloch
Walker
Jackson
Colquitt
Coffee
Tift
Ware
Stephens
Grady
Emanuel
Meriwether
Worth
Cook
Ben Hill
Jefferson
Brooks
Jeff Davis
Screven
Jenkins
Atkinson
Calhoun
Stewart
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