Columbus mayor orders bars, other businesses to shut down because of coronavirus

Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson on Friday issued a Declaration of Local Emergency to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 spread.

The order comes after Muscogee County reported its first case of a person testing positive for the new coronavirus on Thursday.

The order states citizens should not gather in groups of 10 or more, with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies and medical facilities, and provides for the closure of “public restaurants except for take-out service, the closing of bars, gymnasiums and other indoor recreational facilities, and body care salons of all types,” according to a press release from the mayor’s office.

Henderson said in a video announcement that exceptions to the 10-person rule also include persons in transit or waiting for transit, office or manufacturing space, childcare facilities, residential buildings or any type of temporary sheltering.

“All other retail establishments will be subject to the maximum of 10-patron rule, unless they have a retail business larger than 30,000 square feet,” Henderson said.

The restrictions go into place at midnight March 20 and continue until April 3.

In an effort to alleviate pressure on small businesses and keep them from having to come into a confined space with a large number of people, Henderson said the city will be extending the April 1 deadline for obtaining business licenses and paying any occupational tax due has been extended to May 1.

The release states the mayor “still hopes that Columbus will not be as affected by this virus as some other cities, but he also recognizes that it would be irresponsible not to take steps to try to mitigate any crisis.”

The order is an attempt to limit the rapid spread of the virus so that local hospitals can manage potential cases without being overwhelmed. The press release calls for the citizens of Columbus to work together to accomplish that goal.

“The citizens of our community will ultimately determine the success or failure of these actions,” the release says. “The City government and local hospitals can and are preparing for the worst-case scenario, but everyone hopes that, by practicing personal responsibility, citizens can help avoid the difficult circumstances in which other cities have found themselves.”

The Georgia Department of Public Health on Friday at noon confirmed 420 cases of COVID-19 in the state, up by 133 from Thursday’s count. Thirteen people have now died from the novel coronavirus in Georgia.

There has been one confirmed case of the virus in Muscogee County as of Friday at noon.

This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 5:30 PM.