ATLANTA (March 16, 2020) | On Friday, March 13, 2020, Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan and Speaker of the House David Ralston agreed to temporarily suspend the 2020 regular session due to concerns regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In addition, Gov. Brian Kemp has issued an executive order declaring a public health emergency in Georgia and called for a special session to be convened Monday, March 16, 2020, in order to ratify the order.
“Last Friday, the General Assembly made the decision to temporarily suspend the regular session out of an abundance of caution surrounding the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19),” said Sen. Jeff Mullis (R – Chickamauga). “While this was not an easy decision to make, the current circumstances have dictated that this is the safest course of action. In a further attempt to address the spread of COVID-19, the Governor issued a call to convene a special session today in order to ratify a declaration of a Public Health Emergency in the state of Georgia which will be in effect until Monday, April 13th at 11:59 P.M., unless renewed by the Governor. This declaration will give the Governor additional powers to better coordinate our efforts in limiting exposure of COVID-19 and effectively treating patients who exhibit problematic symptoms. I have faith that the Governor, along with experts at the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will do all in their power to ensure Georgians remain as safe and healthy as possible. I would also urge the public to follow the guidance of the Governor’s office, DPH and the CDC and look to their websites to remain up to date on any new developments.”
To view the latest information on COVID-19 in Georgia, refer to the website for the Georgia DPH here: https://dph.georgia.gov/
To view the Governor’s Executive Order declaring a Public Health Emergency, follow this link: https://gov.georgia.gov/executive-action/executive-orders-0/2020-executive-orders
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For Immediate Release:
Mar. 16, 2020
Andrew Allison, Acting Director
404.656.0028