Coronavirus in Columbus: News and numbers for the Chattahoochee Valley on June 24
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information and numbers regarding the coronavirus in the Chattahoochee Valley.
Georgia’s coronavirus case totals update each day at 3 p.m. Check back for more updates.
COVID-19 numbers in the area for June 24
GEORGIA
Muscogee County and its surrounding areas reported a total of 5,069 cases in the 3 p.m. Wednesday update from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
This is an increase of 148 cases since Tuesday. 201 total deaths were reported in the area, with no increase since yesterday.
Muscogee and Troup counties had the largest case increases over 24 hours, with 51 new cases each.
Here’s a breakdown by county of total cases, deaths and hospitalizations:
- Muscogee: 1392, 39, 200
Troup: 1209, 29, 120
- Sumter: 540, 50, 145
Chattahoochee: 345, 0, 7
- Crisp: 261, 12, 42
Harris: 281, 8, 32
- Dooly: 195, 12, 41
- Randolph: 198, 25, 36
Meriwether: 165, 2, 22
- Macon: 112, 9, 36
Stewart: 91, 3, 16
- Marion: 77, 3, 12
- Clay: 56, 2, 5
- Talbot: 66, 2, 14
- Taylor: 26, 2, 10
- Schley: 22, 1, 7
Webster: 18, 1, 5
- Quitman: 15, 1, 5
A full county-by-county breakdown from the Georgia Department of Public Health can be found here.
Georgia’s West-Central Health District covers 16 counties: Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor and Webster.
Troup and Meriwether counties are not in the West-Central Health District but because of their proximity to Columbus, the Ledger-Enquirer will track those numbers as well.
ALABAMA
The number of novel coronavirus cases in Alabama has now reached 31,624 according to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s dashboard at 3:55 p.m. EST Wednesday.
The number of reported cases in Lee County stands at 959 while Russell County’s total stands at 391.
There have been 358,319 tests performed statewide. The state reported 879 total COVID-19-related deaths as of Wednesday.
The state of Alabama now reports the number of presumed recoveries from COVID-19 on a weekly basis. On June 24, the state reported 18,866 presumed recoveries throughout Alabama.
To view the full list of Alabama COVID-19 cases, click here.
National Infantry Museum cancels Freedom Fest
The National Infantry Museum in Columbus has canceled their annual Freedom Fest event, which has taken place since 2013, due to coronavirus concerns.
According to a press release from the museum, there will instead be a virtual celebration for July 4 across the museum’s social media platforms.
Columbus Police Department to give away free masks for kids
The Columbus Police Department will be giving away 100 free masks tomorrow at 2321 Olive Street in Columbus, according to a Facebook event page.
The event, named Covering Our Youth, will take place from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. A parent or guardian must be present for the child to receive a mask.
Social-distanced jam session
The Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus (YOGC) hosted a socially distanced jam session Tuesday morning at the Lakebottom Park band shell.
The musicians wore masks when practical and observed social distancing as they played, as did the handful of spectators who listened. The musicians were practicing folk songs, playing them from memory and by ear.
Stephanie Payne, executive director of YOGC, said like many arts organizations, the YOGC had to cancel many of its events due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Tuesday’s jam session gave them a chance to make music while observing social distancing guidelines.
“We really missed seeing the kids, and we missed making music together, and now that we’ve gotten a little bit more information and some better safety guidelines that we know how to do this safely, we decided to get just a couple of children together and make some music,” Payne said.
Jim Palmer, the music director of YOGC, said Tuesday’s jam session was the first live music he’s participated in since March 13. He said the social benefits of making music together are as great as the music itself.
“The opportunity to hear our kids make this music together just meant the world to me,” Palmer said.
What do Muscogee parents, student think about reopening schools?
The Muscogee County School District has released the results of two initial surveys regarding reopening amid the coronavirus, and also launched a larger survey that has raised questions among some residents.
Last week, MCSD conducted four video conferences: two totaling more than 100 middle and high school students and two totaling more than 100 with parents. These focus groups, called Connect & Chat, were live-streamed and are available for viewing on MCSD’s YouTube channel.
Muscogee County reports largest 24-hour increase in COVID-19 cases since start of pandemic
Muscogee County reported 128 new coronavirus cases Tuesday — the largest 24-hour increase since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data analyzed by the Ledger-Enquirer.
This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 9:36 AM.
