Columbus Council passes public health emergency but stops short of creating restrictions
UPDATE Aug. 31: The Columbus Council passed the resolution re-imposing a public health state of emergency.
With over 170 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Columbus, a resolution to re-impose a public health state of emergency will be up for a vote at Tuesday’s Council meeting.
The primary reason for a state of emergency is so the city’s boards and commissions can meet virtually and continue to function, Mayor Skip Henderson told the Ledger-Enquirer.
“There’s a lot of folks who are a little nervous because the numbers have gone up,” he said.
The city uses hospitalization numbers as a key indicator of how the community is holding up to the spread of the virus, Henderson said, and Columbus is hovering around 174 people hospitalized.
“The biggest challenge (the hospitalization number) represents is there’s a lot of folks that need non-COVID medical care,” he said. “And so, it’s hard for them to get in there, get a room and have access to the care they need.”
In Muscogee County, residents ages 60-69 account for the largest portion of those hospitalized with COVID at 320 total hospitalizations, according to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The resolution to declare a public health emergency states that all citizens, vaccinated or not, are strongly encouraged to wear masks in indoor settings. Those who are unvaccinated are encouraged to get the vaccine.
The resolution does not create a mandate for masks or vaccinations, but it does give Henderson authority to implement social distancing and face mask requirements in the future in response to changing COVID conditions.
However, Henderson said he has not considered reinstating such restrictions, stating that the current surge is different from last year due to the availability of the vaccine.
“There’s a weapon,” Henderson said, “and some people are electing not to use it, and others may have some underlying health conditions that their doctor might want to tell them not to get the vaccine.”
He added that more personal protective equipment is also available, so people who can’t get the vaccine can get an N95 mask that will help protect them.
The vaccine is the best tool to combat the coronavirus at this time, said Dr. Beverly Townsend, director of the West Central Health District in a statement sent to the Ledger-Enquirer.
“With the Delta variant, it’s more urgent than ever to follow infection prevention and control recommendations, including wearing a mask, social distancing, and hand washing or using hand sanitizer,” Townsend said in the statement.
Imposing a mask mandate has also been made more difficult by Gov. Brian Kemp, who recently signed an executive order ensuring local governments cannot compel private businesses to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions such as social distancing or mask mandates.
Muscogee County reported 1,243 cases in the last two weeks, with a case rate of 649 cases per 100,000 people during the same time period.
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 4:42 PM.
