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STAFF REPORT ::: The next phased rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, with vaccines provided only to those with scheduled appointments. The vaccination effort is being provided by District 4 of the Georgia Department of Public Health, the Spalding County Health Department and the […]
STAFF REPORT ::: The NASCAR 2020 season will soon resume in Georgia with the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Originally scheduled to run March 15, NASCAR, the state of Georgia and Governor Brian Kemp worked with the sanctioning body and AMS to reschedule this race. With a race plan reviewed and […]
STAFF REPORT ::: Barring further restrictions or guidelines from Governor Brian Kemp, city of Griffin facilities will reopen to the public May 14. Residents will be restricted to lobby areas and social distancing guidelines will be strictly enforced. Drive-thru services, web-based applications and telephone calls should continue to be used to contact city staff and […]
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith stands firmly behind the officers assigned to the city’s COVID-19 Enforcement Task Force. Despite online complaints by some local business owners and residents, Smith said the Task Force has his support in ongoing efforts to mitigate potential negative affect of the novel coronavirus. “I am one […]
STAFF REPORT ::: Traditional graduation ceremonies for the Griffin-Spalding Class of 2020 will be held June 25 and 26. The announcement made Wednesday by Griffin-Spalding County School System Superintendent Jim Smith followed the tabulation of results from a graduation survey sent to local seniors and their parents and guardians. The results were presented to school […]
STAFF REPORT ::: The shelter-in-place order covering Georgia residents will expire tonight at 11:59 p.m., but Governor Brian Kemp announced today he has extended that order for some individuals. Kemp urged Georgians to continue staying home “whenever possible” as he thanked all for affording officials the time to bolster the state’s health care infrastructure as […]
By DR. BOB HAYDEN Editorial columnist for The GRIP “Hide and watch” is what we have been doing since the beginning of the COVID-19 lock down. It has been little comfort to realize we are “all in this together,” as many people have asserted. Though it may be true, when your income is gone, anxiety […]
STAFF REPORT ::: The city of Griffin has established a COVID-19 Task Force to enforce Governor Brian Kemp’s “Reviving a Healthy Georgia” executive order that permits many businesses to reopen. Kemp’s order outlines provisions and mandates how certain businesses, corporations, organizations and governments should conduct themselves during the remainder of the Governor’s Public Health State […]
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Governor Brian Kemp today announced that his executive order requiring Georgia residents to shelter-at-home will be allowed to expire on April 30, his Public Health State of Emergency will expire May 13 and that many businesses he required to close will soon be permitted to reopen. Hospitals that voluntarily elected to […]
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The GRIP has reached out to the Georgia Department of Public Health seeking clarification regarding significant inconsistencies in its COVID-19 data. The state DPH website has for weeks been updating data at least twice daily – at noon and 7 p.m. At noon Sunday, April 19, the DPH reported there were […]
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Brightmoor Nursing Center Chief Executive Officer Penny Griffin spoke out Saturday evening to offer reassurance to family members, friends and the community regarding the COVID-19 outbreak that includes 21 confirmed COVID-19 cases among residents and eight among staff members, with three deaths. While she and her staff grieve for residents lost […]
STAFF REPORT ::: All Georgia residents who are symptomatic are eligible for COVID-19 testing. This change, effective immediately, will allow those who were previously denied tests the ability to request the diagnostic procedure. The Department of Public Health is also in the process of increasing the number of specimen collection sites statewide and the criteria […]
STAFF REPORT :: Beginning this week, 911 communication centers will receive a list identifying the locations of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the jurisdiction. Authorities say this measure is being implemented in an effort to protect Georgia’s first responders. This will be a collaboration of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and Georgia Department […]
SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Describing Georgia’s COVID-19 testing as “unacceptable,” Governor Brian Kemp on Monday announced the state will expand the previously tightly-restricted requirements for the diagnostic tool. “As of noon today, we now have 13,315 COVID-19 cases in Georgia spanning 157 counties with 464 deaths. The state lab has processed 3,750 tests, and commercial […]
STAFF REPORT ::: Governor Brian Kemp is urging Georgians to not attend religious services, including Easter services, even those that are described as “drive-in.” Authorities say law enforcement agencies have received reports that participants of drive-in religious services are not staying in their vehicles, but are instead leaving them to allow children to play, use […]
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