ATLANTA – MARTA has joined other large transit agencies around the country in asking Congress for at least $25 billion to help offset the impact of coronavirus on its bottom line.
Officials with
the agency cite both a huge decline in ridership and the rising cost of cleaning
supplies.
“Ridership
is down significantly, by 40% to 60%,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeff
Parker said. “Businesses are closed, and people are staying home and not
spending money. With decreased farebox and sales tax revenue, we will be unable
to sustain full bus, rail and paratransit service for those customers who rely
on us.”
During the
Great Recession just more than a decade ago, MARTA was forced to eliminate more
than half of its bus service, and train arrivals grew to 30 minutes apart at
certain times of day.
“MARTA is strongly urging Congress to provide additional money for immediate operational and cleaning assistance to ensure we can keep providing this essential service,” Parker said.
Joining MARTA in the letter were transit agencies in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas and Washington, D.C.
MARTA and
the other transit systems will have to get in line for federal assistance. Gov.
Brian Kemp and 21 other governors sent a letter to congressional leaders on
Monday asking for block grants to help states cover the costs of dealing with
the COVID-19 pandemic.
MARTA has
kept bus and rail service going during the crisis, aware that some low-income
riders have no other means of transportation to jobs, grocery stores, medical
services and child care. The agency has been thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing
transit vehicles and encouraging passengers to maintain a distance of at least
six feet from others to reduce the spread of the virus.
ATLANTA – Gov.
Brian Kemp issued an executive order Monday requiring Georgians at high risk of
contracting coronavirus to stay at home.
The order,
which takes effect at noon Tuesday and runs until noon April 6, also will close
all bars and nightclubs in Georgia and prohibit gatherings of 10 or more unless
the participants remain at least six feet apart.
The state
Department of Public Health will be authorized to close any businesses that
aren’t complying with the order.
“These
measures are intended to ensure the health and safety of Georgians from across
our state,” Kemp said during a late-afternoon briefing streamed from his office
at the state Capitol. “I ask for everyone’s cooperation over the next two
weeks.”
The
governor’s order came as the number of cases of COVID-19 rose to 772 in 67
Georgia counties and the number of deaths climbed to 25.
Kemp
specified that the groups of Georgians considered at risk of contracting
coronavirus include residents of long-term care facilities, patients with
chronic lung disease or undergoing cancer treatment, those who have tested
positive for the virus, have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to
someone with coronavirus.
Kemp also
announced he has joined 21 other governors in a letter to congressional leaders
asking that block grant funding to the states be included in a massive $2
trillion economic stimulus package before Congress. One of the sticking points
that has been holding up an agreement between Republicans and Democrats in the
U.S. Senate over the aid package is whether direct funding to state and local
governments should be included.
“Governors
are on the front line of this fight, and many of us are spending heavily at the
end of the budget year,” Kemp said. “We desperately need these resources.”
Kemp said
part of the financial impact is in the form of soaring applications for
Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids and food stamps. He said the state is working on a
plan to provide extra food stamp benefits in March and April.
Kemp
provided an update on the medical equipment and supplies the state is bringing
on line in the fight against coronavirus. He said 30 ventilators were sent on
Monday to hospitals in Dougherty and Floyd counties, areas particularly hard
hit by the virus relative to their populations.
With
capacity running short at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, he announced
plans to reopen an adjacent north wing with at least 26 rooms. Another facility
in Albany with a capacity of about 60 beds also has been identified, he said.
Kemp said the
state is asking federal officials to allow the temporary facility opened at
Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta earlier this month to house passengers from
a cruise ship to remain open after all of the passengers leave for their homes.
It has about 200 beds that can be used if needed, he said.
Also,
construction has been completed on an isolation zone at the Georgia Public
Safety Training Center in Forsyth with a capacity for 20 emergency housing
units. The campus at the center also has room for about 200 patient beds if
needed.
The state also
has opened up the pipeline to get hundreds of thousands of masks, gloves and
other personal protective equipment to all 142 hospitals in Georgia for doctors,
nurses and others on the front line of caring for coronavirus patients.
Kemp said 23
COVID-19 test sites have opened across the state. Testing will be limited to
elderly Georgians, members of law enforcement agencies, first responders,
long-term care facility residents and staff and health-care workers.
Kemp thanked
Georgians who have heeded the warnings of state and federal health officials to
stay at home if at all possible and make only essential trips. He urged Georgia
citizens to remain vigilant.
“We cannot
let this virus defeat us,” he said. “We are stronger than this crisis, and we
will weather the storm.”
ATLANTA – Four state senators including
the chairwoman of the Georgia Democratic Party have tested positive for
coronavirus as the untreatable respiratory disease continues to spread across
Georgia with hundreds of confirmed cases and more than two dozen deaths.
First to publicly announce his COVID-19 diagnosis was Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, whose test results came back positive days after attending a special session of the General Assembly last Monday. His announcement was followed by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-Marietta, who alerted constituents late Friday night that she also had contracted the virus.
Then, Sen. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, said on Facebook Sunday night that she tested positive after developing a fever last Monday and being tested Thursday afternoon on the top floor of the parking deck of her doctor’s office. Williams, who chairs the Democratic Party of Georgia, called her diagnosis a reminder that anyone can contract the virus, not just those most vulnerable like people over 60-years old or with chronic health issues.
“YOU can get this too,” Williams said.
“Many of you reading this already have the coronavirus and are showing no
symptoms.”
Sen. Bruce Thompson, R-White, also
received confirmation Sunday that he had contracted coronavirus. Thompson was
admitted to the hospital last Monday with respiratory issues and released over
the weekend once his condition improved.
“While I am feeling much better, I plan
to remain at home in self-quarantine for the immediate future,” Thompson said
on Facebook.
Georgia lawmakers hit pause on the 2020 legislative session earlier this month as concerns deepened over the spreading virus. They reconvened briefly last Monday to approve temporary emergency powers for Gov. Brian Kemp.
Last week, Senate leadership including
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and the chamber’s majority caucus urged the chamber’s 56
members to self-quarantine. Duncan has not been tested and has not experienced
any of the typical symptoms associated with coronavirus such as high fever and
a dry cough, an aide said.
House Speaker David Ralston has also not
been tested and is not showing symptoms, according to his office. His office
was not aware Monday of any Georgia representatives having tested positive for
the virus.
Last week, Kemp’s office said the
governor does not plan to be tested and was isolated from members of the House
and Senate while at the state Capitol building during last Monday’s special
session as symptoms cropped up for some lawmakers.
The novel strain of coronavirus has
sickened 772 people and led to 25 deaths in Georgia as of noon Monday. Many
businesses across the state have ground to a halt as workers isolate themselves
to help curb the virus’ spread, while several city and county governments have
imposed restrictions on gatherings and restaurants.
ATLANTA – The
Georgia Supreme Court has decided to consolidate the cases of two would-be
candidates for the court who were not allowed to qualify for the May 19
election during the qualifying period earlier this month.
Former U.S.
Rep. John Barrow and former state Rep. Beth Beskin sought to qualify for the
seat on the high court bench now held by Justice Keith Blackwell, who plans to
retire in November.
But
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger canceled the election at the request of
Gov. Brian Kemp, ruling that Blackwell’s seat is vacant because his resignation
falls within six months of a judicial election. According to the ruling, that
gives the governor the right to appoint Blackwell’s successor.
Barrow and
Beskin responded by filing a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court
challenging Raffensperger’s decision. The trial court upheld the secretary of
state’s ruling in separate orders.
The state
Supreme Court issued an order Monday consolidating the two cases and ordering
an expedited review.
Under the
expedited timetable, Barrow and Beskin must file their principal briefs by
March 26. Raffensperger has until next Monday to file his response, and the two
plaintiffs must file reply briefs by Tuesday, March 31.
With the recent
retirement of Justice Robert Benham, the court currently has eight justices.
Five of the eight have recused themselves from the case, leaving only Chief
Justice Harold Melton, Presiding Justice David Nahmias and Justice Sarah
Warren. Substitute judges have been appointed to join Melton, Nahmias and
Warren in handling the appeal.
ATLANTA – The
number of cases of coronavirus in Georgia has moved past 500, the state
Department of Public Health (DPH) reported Saturday.
As of noon
Saturday, 14 Georgians had died of COVID-19, up from 13 the day before. The
agency reported 507 cases, up from 420 at the same time Friday.
Women
accounted for slightly more cases than men. The age breakdown showed that 41%
of cases in Georgia occurred among those between the ages of 18 and 59, while
33% were age 60 or older.
More than 3,000
tests for COVID-19 had been administered as of noon Saturday, 772 by the DPH and
2,292 by a commercial lab.
Coronavirus has
expanded to 56 counties, up from 50 on Friday. Fulton County continued to lead
the way, with 92 cases, followed by Bartow County with 56, Cobb County with 49,
Dougherty County with 46, DeKalb County with 37, and Gwinnett County with 23.
While state
health officials are continuing to urge Georgians to keep their distance from
others, no stay-at-home mandates have been imposed statewide. The number of
states that have implemented such orders grew to four on Friday: California,
New York, Illinois and Connecticut.
