DeKalb to send alerts to warn of COVID-19 as imminent threat

July 1, 2020 Staff

As DeKalb County continues to be in the top three counties in Georgia with the largest number of reported COVID-19 cases, DeKalb County government announced activation of an emergency alert notification system ahead of the July 4 holiday.

The July 1 announcement states that officials were particularly concerned about the prospect of tens of thousands of people gathering throughout the county for Fourth of July celebrations, especially large crowds expected at Stone Mountain State Park, Georgia’s most popular tourist destination.

“We are tracking an alarming increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in DeKalb and across the state of Georgia,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said. “Extraordinary measures must be taken to ensure that our residents and visitors are aware of the imminent threat and, more importantly, how to mitigate the spread of this deadly virus.”

The county plans to use Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) warning system to alert residents and visitors to the “imminent threat” posed by the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in the county and state.

The county will send email and voice messages to the county’s 566,000 CodeRED emergency notification system subscribers. The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) will also transmit a geocoded text message to all residents, visitors and commuters in county’s boundary at the time of the alert, according to a county press release.

Through IPAWS geocoding technology, visitors in the vicinity of Stone Mountain Park will receive targeted COVID-19 alerts and messages throughout the holiday weekend.

According to Georgia Department of Public Health DeKalb statistics, DeKalb has recorded the state’s third highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, 5,841 cases and 173 deaths as of July 1.

DeKalb County urges residents and visitors to protect themselves and others by:

· Wearing a mask when in public;

· Practicing social distancing;

· Staying home when possible; and

· Washing or sanitizing hands often.

Residents are urged to get tested if they are experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms or believe they may have come in contact with someone infected with COVID-19. For testing locations and other COVID-19-related information, go to www.dekalbcountyga.gov/coronavirus.

To sign up for CodeRED, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/dema/codered.